Atypical tarantula
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 Sphodros rufipes
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The atypical tarantulas or purseweb spiders (family Atypidae) consist of only three genera. In the United States these are Sphodros and Atypus, and in Europe, Asia and Africa only Atypus.
Atypus affinis, A. muralis and A. piceus are the only species of this family found in northwestern Europe.
Atypus lives in a silken tube parallel to the surface of the ground, while Sphodros usually props its tubes against a tree trunk. The females generally do not leave their silken tubes, but catch insects that crawl on the tube by biting the prey through the silk. Atypical tarantulas have huge chelicerae for their size and relatively long spinnerets (although not as long as those found in diplurids). The males are sometimes brightly colored and wander around looking for females in their tubes. The females are reddish-brown or dark-colored.
[edit] Genera
- Atypus Latreille, 1804 (Britain to Ukraine, Asia, North Africa, USA)
- Calommata Lucas, 1837 (Asia, Africa)
- Sphodros Walckenaer, 1835 (USA, Mexico)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Spiders of NW-Europe
- Platnick, N.I. 2003. World Spider Catalog
- Richman, D. B. 2003. Some Spiders - Photograph of Sphodros
