| Cicurina venii | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Suborder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Dictynidae |
| Genus: | Cicurina |
| Species: | C. venii |
| Binomial name | |
| Cicurina venii Gertsch, 1992 |
|
Cicurina venii is a rare species of spider in the family Dictynidae known by the common name Braken Bat Cave meshweaver. It is endemic to Texas in the United States, where it is known from only one cave in Bexar County. This is one of nine invertebrates endemic to the karst caves of Bexar County that were federally listed as endangered species in the year 2000.[1]
Only one specimen of this species was ever collected, a female, and this specimen is now lost. The entrance to Braken Bat Cave, the type locality for the species, has been filled in, and the cave cannot currently be accessed. It is located on private property. The status of the species is unknown.[2]
The Bexar County karst cave invertebrates are troglobites, species that spend their entire lives in subterranean environments. The threats to all nine species are the same: habitat loss when the caves are filled in or quarried, and habitat degradation via pollution, alterations in water flow, and direct human interference.[2]