''Atypus'', also called purseweb spiders, is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of atypical tarantulas first described by

Pierre André Latreille Pierre André Latreille (; 29 November 1762 – 6 February 1833) was a French zoologist, specialising in arthropods. Having trained as a Roman Catholic priest before the French Revolution, Latreille was imprisoned, and only regained his freedom ...

in 1804. It occurs in

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago ...

, with one species (''A. affinis'') reaching into

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

, and one species (''A. snetsingeri'') in the USA. Only three of the described species occur in Europe: ''A. piceus'', ''A. affinis'', and ''A. muralis''. Peasants in the southern Carpathian Mountains used to cut up tubes built by ''Atypus'' and cover wounds with the inner lining. It reportedly facilitated healing, and even connected with the skin. This is believed to be due to antiseptic properties of

spider silk Spider silk is a protein fibre spun by spiders. Spiders use their silk to make webs or other structures, which function as sticky nets to catch other animals, or as nests or cocoons to protect their offspring, or to wrap up prey. They can ...

(which is made of

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...

Identification features

They are three-clawed, medium to large spiders with eight eyes. They have six

spinnerets A spinneret is a silk-spinning organ of a spider or the larva of an insect. Some adult insects also have spinnerets, such as those borne on the forelegs of Embioptera. Spinnerets are usually on the underside of a spider's opisthosoma, and are ...

with the median spinneret truncated. The prolateral sides of the

maxilla The maxilla (plural: ''maxillae'' ) in vertebrates is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. T ...

e are elongated. The cephalic side of the cephalothorax is elevated. They have large

chelicerae The chelicerae () are the mouthparts of the subphylum Chelicerata, an arthropod group that includes arachnids, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. Commonly referred to as " jaws", chelicerae may be shaped as either articulated fangs, or similarl ...

with long and thin fangs. The male

sternum The sternum or breastbone is a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels from injury. Sha ...

has marginal ridges.

Species

it contains thirty-four species: *'' Atypus affinis'' Eichwald, 1830 – Europe (Ireland to Ukraine), North Africa *'' Atypus baotianmanensis'' Hu, 1994 – China *'' Atypus baotingensis'' Li, Xu, Zhang, Liu, Zhang & Li, 2018 – China (Hainan) *'' Atypus coreanus'' Kim, 1985 – Korea *'' Atypus dorsualis'' Thorell, 1897 – Myanmar, Thailand *'' Atypus flexus'' Zhu, Zhang, Song & Qu, 2006 – China *''

Atypus formosensis ''Atypus'', also called purseweb spiders, is a genus of Atypidae, atypical tarantulas first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804. It occurs in Eurasia, with one species (''A. affinis'') reaching into North Africa, and one species (''A. s ...

'' Kayashima, 1943 – Taiwan *'' Atypus heterothecus'' Zhang, 1985 – China *'' Atypus javanus'' Thorell, 1890 – Indonesia (Java) *'' Atypus jianfengensis'' Li, Xu, Zhang, Liu, Zhang & Li, 2018 – China (Hainan) *'' Atypus karschi'' Dönitz, 1887 – China, Taiwan, Japan *'' Atypus lannaianus'' Schwendinger, 1989 – Thailand *'' Atypus largosaccatus'' Zhu, Zhang, Song & Qu, 2006 – China *'' Atypus ledongensis'' Zhu, Zhang, Song & Qu, 2006 – China *'' Atypus magnus'' Namkung, 1986 – Russia (Far East), Korea *'' Atypus medius'' Oliger, 1999 – Russia (Far East) *'' Atypus minutus'' Lee, Lee, Yoo & Kim, 2015 – Korea *''

Atypus muralis ''Atypus muralis'' is a mygalomorph spider from Central Europe to Turkmenistan. It is very similar to ''Atypus piceus'', but the posterior Spinneret (spider), spinnerets consist of four instead of three segments.Jones, Dick (1989) ''A Guide to Sp ...

'' Bertkau, 1890 – Central Europe to Iran and Turkmenistan *'' Atypus pedicellatus'' Zhu, Zhang, Song & Qu, 2006 – China *''

Atypus piceus ''Atypus piceus'' is a mygalomorph spider of the family Atypidae. It occurs in Europe to Moldavia, and Iran and is the type species of the genus ''Atypus''. Description Males are about long without chelicerae, females up to . Males are of a dee ...

'' (Sulzer, 1776) ( type) – Europe (France to Russia), Iran *'' Atypus quelpartensis'' Namkung, 2002 – Korea *'' Atypus sacculatus'' Zhu, Zhang, Song & Qu, 2006 – China *'' Atypus seogwipoensis'' Kim, Ye & Noh, 2015 – Korea *'' Atypus sinensis'' Schenkel, 1953 – China *'' Atypus snetsingeri'' Sarno, 1973 – USA *'' Atypus sternosulcus'' Kim, Kim, Jung & Lee, 2006 – Korea *'' Atypus suiningensis'' Zhang, 1985 – China *'' Atypus suthepicus'' Schwendinger, 1989 – Thailand *'' Atypus sutherlandi'' Chennappaiya, 1935 – India *'' Atypus suwonensis'' Kim, Kim, Jung & Lee, 2006 – Korea *'' Atypus tibetensis'' Zhu, Zhang, Song & Qu, 2006 – China *'' Atypus wataribabaorum'' Tanikawa, 2006 – Japan *'' Atypus wii'' Siliwal, Kumar & Raven, 2014 – India *'' Atypus yajuni'' Zhu, Zhang, Song & Qu, 2006 – China

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q98771 Atypidae Mygalomorphae genera Spiders of Asia Spiders of Africa Spiders of North America Taxa named by Pierre André Latreille