Macrothele

Macrothele
Threatening female M. gigas
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Mygalomorphae
Family: Hexathelidae
Genus: Macrothele
Ausserer, 1871
Type species
Mygale calpeiana
Walckenaer, 1805
Species

See text.

Diversity
26 species

Macrothele is a genus of mygalomorph spiders, some of which posses venom of clinically significant toxicity that also demonstrates potentially medically beneficial effects against several forms of cancer.

Most species occur in Asia from India to Japan and Java, with four found in Africa, and two in Europe.

Description

Nest of M. gigas

Spiders of this genus are fairly large, with Chinese species ranging from one to three centimeters in female body length. Males are smaller, sometimes only half the size.

These spiders build tube-webs or funnel-webs under rocks, logs or crevices in the ground.[1]

Distribution

Macrothele ranges from the western Mediterranean and West Africa to Southeast Asia and China. However, there is some doubt if the western and eastern species should be grouped in the same genus.[2]

Name

The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek makro "big" and thele, which refers to the spinnerets.

Species

Female M. yaginumai

See also

Footnotes

  1. Zhu & Song 2000
  2. Murphy & Murphy 2000

References

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