''Periegops'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
spider
Spiders (order (biology), order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight limbs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude spider silk, silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and ran ...
s with six eyes instead of the usual eight. It is the only genus in its
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
(Periegopidae) and has three described
species
A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...
.
It was long considered to be a member of
Sicariidae
Sicariidae is a family (biology), family of six-eyed spider bite, venomous spiders known for their potentially necrotic bites. The family consists of three genus, genera and about 160 species. Well known spiders in this family include the Loxosce ...
or
Segestriidae
Tube-dwelling spiders (Segestriidae) are a family of araneomorph spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1893. It consists of five genera, two large and widespread, '' Segestria'' and '' Ariadna'', and three smaller genera, '' Citharoceps'', ...
until
Raymond Forster elevated it to the family level in 1995.
Taxonomy
''Periegops'' was first described in 1893 by
Eugene Simon
Eugene Michael Simon (born 11 June 1992) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles as Jerome Clarke in the Nickelodeon mystery series ''House of Anubis'' (2011–2013) and Lancel Lannister in the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thron ...
from a specimen of ''P. hirsutus'' (a synonym of ''P. suterii'').
[Simon, E. (1893a). ''Histoire naturelle das araignées''. Paris 1, 257–488. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.51973]
Description
This genus of spider has only six eyes, as opposed to eight, which is typical for spiders. Body length varies from 5.9 mm to 10.9 mm depending on species and sex. Carapace is an orange colour and is darker on the anterior side. Abdomen is brown or creamy brown and usually have a chevron pattern. The family can be distinguished by the pattern of eye positions, which are in three clusters of two eyes.
Species
, the
World Spider Catalog
The World Spider Catalog (WSC) is an online searchable database concerned with spider taxonomy. It aims to list all accepted families, genera and species, as well as provide access to the related taxonomic literature.
The WSC began as a series of ...
accepted the following species:
* ''
Periegops australia
''Periegops australia'' is a species of spider in the genus '' Periegops'' that is endemic to South East Queensland in Australia.Forster, R. R. (1995b). The Australasian spider family Periegopidae Simon, 1893 (Araneae: Sicarioidea). ''Records of ...
''
Forster, 1995 — Australia (Queensland)
* ''
Periegops keani
''Periegops keani'' is a species of spider in the genus '' Periegops'' that is endemic to the North Island of New Zealand.
Taxonomy
''Periegops keani'' was described in 2013. The species is named after John Kean, who helped collect type specim ...
''
Vink, Dupérré & Malumbres-Olarte, 2013 — New Zealand (North Island)
* ''
Periegops suterii
''Periegops suterii'' is a species of spider in the genus '' Periegops'' that is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand.Vink, CJ; Dupérré, N; Malumbres-Olarte, J 2013. Periegopidae (Arachnida: Araneae). ''Fauna of New Zealand 70'', 41 pag ...
''
(Urquhart, 1892) — New Zealand (South Island)
Habitat
''Periegops'' occur in forest habitat, where there are deep leaf litter layers and well drained soil.
Behaviour
No ''Periegops'' species has been observed creating webs for prey capture, but rather has been observed using silk to create
drag lines and silk retreats. ''Periegops'' are likely all fast moving,
nocturnal
Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatur ...
hunters.
In ''P. suterii'', females have been found with two to three males with them, which may imply that the female has a way of attracting males to them.
References
External links
''Periegops suteri''(PDF, p16, with picture)
* (2014)
version 14.5. ''American Museum of Natural History''.
Spiders of Australia
Spiders of New Zealand
Araneomorphae genera
Periegopidae
{{Araneomorphae-stub