Prodidomidae
Encyclopedia
The Prodidomidae are a spider
family with about 300 species in 31 genera. They are sometimes called Long-Spinneret Ground Spiders.
This family is part of the superfamily Gnaphosoidea
. They are easily identified by the greatly elongated base of the piriform gland spigots. At least parts of their body are covered with shiny scales or setae. The posterior median eyes are flat and silvery, with a triangular, egg-shaped or irregularly rectangular shape.
, seems to be active during the day.
The genus Zimiris is synanthropic and thus found worldwide in the tropics.
by Eugène Simon
, it is suspected that Simon accidentally exchanged its locality with that of Anagraphis pallens (Gnaphosidae); then T. walteri would have been collected in the Cape of Good Hope
, while A. pallens is from Turkmenistan.
and Gnaphosidae. These share anterior lateral spinnerets consisting of only a single article, while the lower gnaphosoids retain a separate, complete distal article that is represented by an entire, subdistal ring of sclerotized cuticle.
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 with about 300 species in 31 genera. They are sometimes called Long-Spinneret Ground Spiders.
This family is part of the superfamily Gnaphosoidea
Gnaphosoidea
The Gnaphosoidea are a superfamily of araneomorph, mostly eight-eyed spiders, with seven families:* Ammoxenidae* Cithaeronidae * Gallieniellidae* Gnaphosidae* Lamponidae* Prodidomidae* Trochanteriidae...
. They are easily identified by the greatly elongated base of the piriform gland spigots. At least parts of their body are covered with shiny scales or setae. The posterior median eyes are flat and silvery, with a triangular, egg-shaped or irregularly rectangular shape.
Biology
Prodidomidae are ground dwellers. Most species are nocturnal and hide during the day in litter, but Myandra, which are probably mimicking antsAnt mimicry
Ant mimicry is mimicry of ants by other organisms. Ants are abundant all over the world, and insect predators that rely on vision to identify their prey such as birds and wasps normally avoid them, either because they are unpalatable, or aggressive. Thus some other arthropods mimic ants to escape...
, seems to be active during the day.
The genus Zimiris is synanthropic and thus found worldwide in the tropics.
Distribution
Although Theuma walteri was described from TurkmenistanTurkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
by Eugène Simon
Eugène Simon
Eugène Simon was a French arachnologist. His many taxonomic contributions include categorizing and naming many spiders, as well as creating genera such as Anelosimus, Psellocoptus and Phlogius....
, it is suspected that Simon accidentally exchanged its locality with that of Anagraphis pallens (Gnaphosidae); then T. walteri would have been collected in the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, while A. pallens is from Turkmenistan.
Systematics
The Prodidomidae are considered "higher gnaphosoids", together with the LamponidaeLamponidae
The Lamponidae are a spider family with about 200 described species in 23 genera.-Distribution:Species from this family are generally endemic to Australia, with the genus Centrocalia endemic to New Caledonia, and two Lampona species also occurring in New Zealand...
and Gnaphosidae. These share anterior lateral spinnerets consisting of only a single article, while the lower gnaphosoids retain a separate, complete distal article that is represented by an entire, subdistal ring of sclerotized cuticle.
Genera
- Anagrina Berland, 1920 — AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
- Austrodomus Lawrence, 1947 — South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
- Caudalia Alayón, 1980 — CubaCubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
- Chileomma Platnick, Shadab & Sorkin, 2005 — ChileChileChile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
- Chileuma Platnick, Shadab & Sorkin, 2005 — Chile
- Chilongius Platnick, Shadab & Sorkin, 2005 — Chile
- Cryptoerithus RainbowWilliam Joseph RainbowWilliam Joseph Rainbow was an entomologist and arachnologist whose work includes the first catalogue of Australian spiders.-Life:...
, 1915 — AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... - Eleleis SimonEugène SimonEugène Simon was a French arachnologist. His many taxonomic contributions include categorizing and naming many spiders, as well as creating genera such as Anelosimus, Psellocoptus and Phlogius....
, 1893 — South Africa - Encoptarthria Main, 1954 — Australia
- Katumbea Cooke, 1964 — TanzaniaTanzaniaThe United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
- LygrommaLygrommaLygromma is a spider genus of Central and South America. There are species with eight, six and no eyes. The eyeless L. anops is endemic to Galapagos, while the not closely related blind L...
Simon, 1893 — Costa RicaCosta RicaCosta Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
to BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Galapagos - Lygrommatoides Strand, 1918 — JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
- Molycria Simon, 1887 — Australia
- Moreno Mello-Leitão, 1940 — Chile, ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
- Myandra Simon, 1887 — Australia
- Namundra Platnick & Bird, 2007 — Africa
- Neozimiris Simon, 1903 — USA, MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, PanamaPanamaPanama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, Galapagos, Bahamas - Nomindra Platnick & Baehr, 2006 — Australia
- Oltacloea Mello-Leitão, 1940 — Brazil, Argentina
- Plutonodomus Cooke, 1964 — Tanzania
- Prodida Dalmas, 1919 — PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, SeychellesSeychellesSeychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar.... - Prodidomus Hentz, 1847 — Mediterranean, Africa, Australia, AsiaAsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, Hawai'i - Purcelliana Cooke, 1964 — South Africa
- Theuma Simon, 1893 — Africa, TurkmenistanTurkmenistanTurkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
? - Theumella Strand, 1906 — EthiopiaEthiopiaEthiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
- Tivodrassus Chamberlin & Ivie, 1936 — Mexico
- Tricongius Simon, 1892 — South AmericaSouth AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
- Wesmaldra Platnick & Baehr, 2006 — Australia
- Wydundra Platnick & Baehr, 2006 — Australia, Malaysia, Moluccas
- Zimirina Dalmas, 1919 — SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, AlgeriaAlgeriaAlgeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, Canary IslandsCanary IslandsThe Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
, South Africa - Zimiris Simon, 1882 — Circumtropical