Pimoa cthulhu
Encyclopedia
Pimoa cthulhu is a species
of the spider
family
Pimoidae
. It is one of twenty one described species in the genus Pimoa
.
and means "big legs". Gustavo Hormiga, who named the species, derived the specific name from Howard Phillips Lovecraft's
fictional deity Cthulhu
, which Hormiga writes is "akin to the powers of Chaos".
in western California
. Within that range the species is associated with redwood forestland habitats such as redwood stumps and logs.
. Gustavo Hormiga chose a male specimen collected from the southern end of the Mendocino Woodlands State Park
from a hollow redwood stump in September 1990 as holotype
. One of the two female paratype
s was also from a hollow redwood stump in the Mendocino Woodlands. Both specimens were collected by Darrell Ubick of the California Academy of Sciences
. Two more paratypes, another male and a second female, were collected from the camp in Mendocino Woodlands in February 1979 and February 1973 respectively by S. C. Williams. The holotype and three paratypes are currently housed in the collections of the California Academy of Sciences, while the fourth paratype is in Darrell Ubick's private collection.
which is narrower and laterally compressed at the distal end. Males of P. cthulhu have a cephalothorax
length which ranges from 4.4 to 5.7 mm (0.173228346456693 to 0.224409448818898 in) while females range from 4 to 6.1 mm (0.15748031496063 to 0.240157480314961 in). Both males and females are very similar in coloration, with a light to very light brown cephalothorax that is slightly darker towards the margins and an abdomen that is dark gray with four dorsal whitish spots. The males have a brown sternum, while in the females the sternum is reddish brown. While the females have legs which are dark reddish, the male legs are covered in long setae instead.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of the spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Pimoidae
Pimoidae
The Pimoidae spider family is a rather small group of 37 species in four genera. They are monophyletic, and probably closest related to the Linyphiidae.-Distribution:...
. It is one of twenty one described species in the genus Pimoa
Pimoa
Pimoa is a genus of spiders in the Pimoidae family. Its sister genus is Nanoa.-Etymology:Pimoa is derived from the language of the Gosiute people in Utah with the meaning "big legs"...
.
Etymology
Pimoa is derived from the language of the Gosiute people in UtahUtah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and means "big legs". Gustavo Hormiga, who named the species, derived the specific name from Howard Phillips Lovecraft's
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
fictional deity Cthulhu
Cthulhu
Cthulhu is a fictional character that first appeared in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. The character was created by writer H. P...
, which Hormiga writes is "akin to the powers of Chaos".
Distribution
The range of Pimoa cthulhu is restricted to areas of Mendocino and Sonoma countiesSonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
in western California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Within that range the species is associated with redwood forestland habitats such as redwood stumps and logs.
Type specimens
Four specimens of Pimoa cthulhu were collected and used in the 1994 type description authored by Gustavo Hormiga of the Department of Entomology at the National Museum of Natural HistoryNational Museum of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum administered by the Smithsonian Institution, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., United States. Admission is free and the museum is open 364 days a year....
. Gustavo Hormiga chose a male specimen collected from the southern end of the Mendocino Woodlands State Park
Mendocino Woodlands State Park
The Mendocino Woodlands State Park is a group camping facility located at 39350 Little Lake Road, Mendocino County, California, seven miles inland from the town of Mendocino. It was built as a Recreational Demonstration Area by the Civilian Conservation Corps...
from a hollow redwood stump in September 1990 as holotype
Holotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
. One of the two female paratype
Paratype
Paratype is a technical term used in the scientific naming of species and other taxa of organisms. The exact meaning of the term paratype when it is used in zoology is not the same as the meaning when it is used in botany...
s was also from a hollow redwood stump in the Mendocino Woodlands. Both specimens were collected by Darrell Ubick of the California Academy of Sciences
California Academy of Sciences
The California Academy of Sciences is among the largest museums of natural history in the world. The academy began in 1853 as a learned society and still carries out a large amount of original research, with exhibits and education becoming significant endeavors of the museum during the twentieth...
. Two more paratypes, another male and a second female, were collected from the camp in Mendocino Woodlands in February 1979 and February 1973 respectively by S. C. Williams. The holotype and three paratypes are currently housed in the collections of the California Academy of Sciences, while the fourth paratype is in Darrell Ubick's private collection.
Description
Male Pimoa cthulhu are distinguishable from related species by the unique cluster of thick spines found on the cymbial projection. Female P. cthulhu are very similar to the related species P. vera, but are distinguishable by the long sausage-like epigynumEpigynum
Epigynum is a genus of plant in the family Apocynaceae....
which is narrower and laterally compressed at the distal end. Males of P. cthulhu have a cephalothorax
Cephalothorax
The cephalothorax is a tagma of various arthropods, comprising the head and the thorax fused together, as distinct from the abdomen behind. The word cephalothorax is derived from the Greek words for head and thorax...
length which ranges from 4.4 to 5.7 mm (0.173228346456693 to 0.224409448818898 in) while females range from 4 to 6.1 mm (0.15748031496063 to 0.240157480314961 in). Both males and females are very similar in coloration, with a light to very light brown cephalothorax that is slightly darker towards the margins and an abdomen that is dark gray with four dorsal whitish spots. The males have a brown sternum, while in the females the sternum is reddish brown. While the females have legs which are dark reddish, the male legs are covered in long setae instead.