Velvet spider

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Velvet spiders
male Eresus
male Eresus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Araneomorphae
Superfamily: Eresoidea
Family: Eresidae
C. L. Koch, 1851
Diversity
10 genera, 102 species

Genera

see text

The velvet spiders (family Eresidae) are a small group (about 100 species in 10 genera) of almost totally Old World spiders (exception: a few species are known from Brazil). The characteristics of this family of spiders are that they are entelegyne (have a genital plate in the female), eight-eyed araneomorph spiders that build unkempt webs. With the exception of Wajane, they are cribellate (use wooly silk). Some species are nearly eusocial, lacking only a specialized caste system and a queen. They cooperate in brood rearing, unlike almost most other spiders except for some African agelenid spiders in the genus Agelena and a few others.

Wayane is grouped together with Penestomus as the subfamily Penestominae.

Contents

[edit] Genera

The categorization into subfamilies follows Joel Hallan's Biology Catalog.

  • Eresinae C. L. Koch, 1851
  • Adonea Simon, 1873 — Mediterranean
  • Dorceus C. L. Koch, 1846 — Africa
  • Dresserus Simon, 1876 — Africa
  • Eresus Walckenaer, 1805 — Palearctic to Morocco
  • Gandanameno Lehtinen, 1967 — Africa
  • Paradonea Lawrence, 1968 — Africa
  • Seothyra Purcell, 1903 — Africa
  • Stegodyphus Simon, 1873 — Africa, Madagascar, Brazil, Eurasia
  • Penestominae C. L. Koch, 1851
  • Penestomus Simon, 1902 — South Africa
  • Wajane Lehtinen, 1967 — South Africa

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  • Lehtinen, P.T. (1967): Classification of the cribellate spiders and some allied families, with notes on the evolution of the suborder Araneomorpha. Ann. Zool. Fenn. 4: 199-468.
  • Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S. (1989): The African species of the subfamily Penestominae (Araneae: Eresidae): with description of two new species. Phytophylactica 21: 131-134.

[edit] External links

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