Wallpaper spiders
| Wallpaper spiders | ||||||||||
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| Atypidae | ||||||||||
| Thorell , 1878 |
The wallpaper spiders (Atypidae) are a family of tarantula-like spiders and comprise 54 species , which are divided into three genera . In Central Europe only three species of the family from the genus Atypus are native. They are also the only representatives of the tarantula species in Central Europe. The native species reach a size of 5 to 12 mm, whereby the orthognathic chelicerae are not measured and are noticeable by their size. The small and strong, dark brown animals are easy to recognize in Central Europe.
Way of life
Wallpaper spiders lurk in earth tubes that can reach up to 50 cm deep in tropical rainforests. This tube is papered with silk, into which stones and soil particles are woven. The tube is enlarged with a chamber at the end. The "wallpaper" merges into the catch hose, which is made of the same material and is so well camouflaged that it is laid out on the ground for a few decimeters or is attached to parts of plants and built into the vegetation above the ground. The living tube is always larger and longer than the catch hose, which is difficult to make out, but is a good characteristic of the family.
As soon as prey stumbles over the catch hose, the wallpapering spider shoots out from inside the catch hose and bites through it into the prey. The stunned prey is then pulled into the tube and repaired again before the prey is eaten in the residential tube.
The females, which tend to form colonies, can live to be up to nine years old and usually live in their living tunnels for life. Roaming individuals are mostly males or juveniles. Males leave their homes to look for females ready to mate; the young have to find new living space.
Genera
The World Spider Catalog currently lists 3 genera and 54 species for wallpapering spiders. (As of December 2018)
- Atypus Latreille , 1804 - distributed in: Europe , Asia , North Africa , USA
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Calommata Lucas , 1837 - Distributed in: Africa , Asia
- Calommata fulvipes ( Lucas , 1835)
- Calommata megae Fourie, Haddad & Jocqué , 2011
- Calommata meridionalis Fourie, Haddad & Jocqué , 2011
- Calommata namibica Fourie, Haddad & Jocqué , 2011
- Calommata obesa Simon , 1886
- Calommata pichoni leg , 1963
- Calommata signata Karsch , 1879
- Calommata simoni Pocock , 1903
- Calommata sundaica ( Doleschall , 1859)
- Calommata tamdaoensis Zha, Pham & Li , 2012
- Calommata tibialis Fourie, Haddad & Jocqué , 2011
- Calommata transvaalica ( Hewitt , 1916)
- Calommata truculenta ( Thorell , 1887)
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Sphodros Walckenaer , 1835 - common in: USA, Mexico , Canada
- Sphodros abboti Walckenaer , 1835
- Sphodros atlanticus Gertsch & Platnick , 1980
- Sphodros coylei Gertsch & Platnick , 1980
- Sphodros fitchi Gertsch & Platnick , 1980
- Sphodros niger ( Hentz , 1842)
- Sphodros paisano Gertsch & Platnick , 1980
- Sphodros rufipes ( Latreille , 1829)
literature
- Ambros Hännggi, Edi Stöckli, Wolfgang Nentwig: Habitats of Central European Spiders. Miscallanea faunistica Helvetiae. Center suisse de cartographie de la faune, CH-2000 Neuchâtel 1995. ISBN 2-88414-008-5
- Stefan Heimer, Wolfgang Nentwig: Spinning Central Europe. Paul Parey Verlag Berlin, 1991. ISBN 3-489-53534-0
- Dick Jones: The Cosmos Spider's Guide. Franckhsche Verlagsbuchhandlung Stuttgart, 1990. ISBN 3-440-06141-8
Individual evidence
- ↑ Natural History Museum of the Burgergemeinde Bern: World Spider Catalog Version 19.5 - Atypidae . Retrieved December 22, 2018.
Web links
- Atypidae in the World Spider Catalog
- Atypidae in the Wiki of the Arachnological Society e. V.
- Family key wallpapering spiders (Nentwig, Heimer)
- Family Atypidae, by Ed Nieuwenhuys