Cave spiders

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Cave spiders
Male Nesticus species from Northern California

Male Nesticus species from Northern California

Systematics
Class : Arachnids (arachnida)
Order : Spiders (Araneae)
Subordination : Real spiders (Araneomorphae)
Partial order : Entelegynae
Superfamily : Orb web spiders (Araneoidea)
Family : Cave spiders
Scientific name
Nesticidae
Simon , 1894
Distribution map of the cave spiders

The cave spiders (Nesticidae) are a family of real spiders from the superfamily of the orb web spiders (Araneoideae). The family comprises 13 genera and 233 species . (As of June 2016)

Description and way of life

The native cave spider species are very small (body length less than 1 mm) to medium-sized (5.5 mm) troglophilic animals that build space nets in crevices , caves , tunnels or cellars . They are pale yellow with black spots. The species are very similar and can only be distinguished under a good reflected light microscope and possibly by genital morphological examination.

According to Sauer and Wunderlich, they are originally at home in the system of gaps in scree slopes and colonize natural caves and crevices roughly as far as small snails . They can also be found very rarely in the vicinity of these habitats. Basements are only substitute living spaces . They need darkness and high humidity. The animals live in loose societies up front in their wide-meshed nets, from which catch threads are stretched downwards. The females weave a loose egg ball that they carry around with them attached to the spinnerets.

Native species

Only three species of the genus Nesticus have been found in Central Europe :

Systematics

The World Spider Catalog currently lists 13 genera and 233 species for cave spiders. (As of June 2016)

Web links

Commons : Cave Spiders (Nesticidae)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Nesticidae in the World Spider Catalog

literature

  • Heiko Bellmann: Cosmos-Atlas of the arachnids of Europe . Kosmos, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-440-07025-5 .
  • Frieder Sauer & Jörg Wunderlich: The most beautiful spiders in Europe. , Fauna-Verlag, 2001, ISBN 3-923010-03-6 .
  • A. Hänggi, E. Stöckli & W. Nentwig: Habitats of Central European Spiders. Miscellanea Faunistica Helvetiae 4. Neuchatel / Bern 1995, ISBN 2-88414-008-5 .

Individual evidence

  1. a b Natural History Museum of the Burgergemeinde Bern: World Spider Catalog Version 17.0 - Nesticidae . Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  2. Heimer, Stephan & Nentwig, Wolfgang (1991): Spinnen Mitteleuropas - A determination book. Paul Parey, Berlin and Hamburg 1991, ISBN 3-489-53534-0 .
  3. Heiko Bellmann: Kosmos-Atlas of the arachnids of Europe . Kosmos, Stuttgart 1997, ISBN 3-440-07025-5 .
  4. Frieder Sauer and Jörg Wunderlich, Jörg: The most beautiful spiders in Europe . Fauna-Verlag, Karlsfeld 1985.
  5. A. Hänggi, E. Stöckli & W. Nentwig: Habitats of Central European Spiders. Miscellanea Faunistica Helvetiae 4. Neuchatel / Bern 1995, ISBN 2-88414-008-5 .
  6. Blick, T .; Bosmans, R .; Buchar, J .; Gajdoš, P .; Hänggi, A .; Van Helsdingen, P; Růžička, V .; Starega, W. & Thaler, K .: Checklist of the spiders of Central Europe (Arachnida: Araneae). Version December 1, 2004 ( PDF; 1.4 MB ( Memento from August 23, 2016 in the Internet Archive ))