Hickmania troglodytes
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| Tasmanian cave spider | ||||||||||||||||
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| Hickmania troglodytes (Higgins & Petterd, 1883) |
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The cribellate spider species Hickmania troglodytes (Tasmanian cave spider) occurs only in Tasmania, where it is widely distributed, especially in underground drainage and cave systems, where large numbers can be found in the entrances.
They are up to 2cm long, with a legspan of up to 18cm; its web can have a diameter of more than one meter. The smaller males have a distinct kink-like curve near the end of each second leg. These kinks are used to hold the female's head while mating.
Spiders of these species have a usually long lifetime for araneomorph spiders: they can last several decades.
This spider, the only one of its own subfamily (Hickmaniinae), is the last of an old Gondwanan lineage; its nearest relatives are found in South America.
It is an icon species for faunal conservation in Tasmania.
[edit] Name
The genus name is in honor of an arachnologist called Hickman. The species name is Greek troglodytes, "cave-dweller".
