''Callilepis'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of ground spiders first described by

Niklas Westring Niklas Westring (13 November 1797, in Gothenburg – 28 January 1882) was a Swedish entomologist and arachnologist. He started out with the intention to study medicine but this was frustrated by the death of his father. His full-time profession f ...

in 1874. Some are found from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, others from

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. They are most commonly found in dry areas, sandy roads and beaches.

Description

Individuals of this genus is easily distinguished from other

Gnaphosidae Ground spiders comprise Gnaphosidae, the seventh largest spider family with over 2,000 described species in over 100 genera distributed worldwide. There are 105 species known to central Europe, and common genera include ''Gnaphosa'', ''Drassodes ...

by the single translucent

lamina Lamina may refer to: Science and technology * Planar lamina, a two-dimensional planar closed surface with mass and density, in mathematics * Laminar flow, (or streamline flow) occurs when a fluid flows in parallel layers, with no disruption betwee ...

on the cheliceral retromargin, the short, angular endites and the flattened,

transverse Transverse may refer to: *Transverse engine, an engine in which the crankshaft is oriented side-to-side relative to the wheels of the vehicle *Transverse flute, a flute that is held horizontally * Transverse force (or ''Euler force''), the tangen ...

posterior

median In statistics and probability theory, the median is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a data sample, a population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as "the middle" value. The basic fe ...

eyes. These eyes are probably not functional due to a series of ridges. Species range in size from 2.5 to 7 mm. The

lateral Lateral is a geometric term of location which may refer to: Healthcare *Lateral (anatomy), an anatomical direction *Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle *Lateral release (surgery), a surgical procedure on the side of a kneecap Phonetics *Lateral cons ...

eyes are larger than the medians. The abdomen is dark gray, longer than wide, with a dark, shiny

anterior Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

scutum The ''scutum'' (; plural ''scuta'') was a type of shield used among Italic peoples in antiquity, most notably by the army of ancient Rome starting about the fourth century BC. The Romans adopted it when they switched from the military formati ...

in males, sometimes with white spots.

Systematics

The species belong to two groups. The ''nocturna'' group consists of ''C. nocturna'', ''C. pluto'', ''C. imbecilla'', ''C. chisos'' and ''C. concolor''; the ''schuszteri'' group of ''C. schuszteri'', ''C. mumai'', ''C. eremella'', ''C. gertschi'' and ''C. gosoga''. Although both groups occur on both sides of the Atlantic, no species is holarctic in distribution.

Species

it contains eighteen species: *'' Callilepis chakanensis'' Tikader, 1982 — India *'' Callilepis chisos'' Platnick, 1975 — USA *'' Callilepis concolor'' Simon, 1914 — Southern Europe *'' Callilepis cretica'' (Roewer, 1928) — Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Azerbaijan *'' Callilepis eremella'' Chamberlin, 1928 — North America *'' Callilepis gertschi'' Platnick, 1975 — USA, Mexico *'' Callilepis gosoga'' Chamberlin & Gertsch, 1940 — USA *'' Callilepis imbecilla'' (Keyserling, 1887) — USA, Canada *'' Callilepis ketani'' Gajbe, 1984 — India *'' Callilepis lambai'' Tikader & Gajbe, 1977 — India *''

Callilepis mumai ''Callilepis'' may refer to: * ''Callilepis'' (spider), a genus of spiders of North America and Eurasia * ''Callilepis'' (plant), a genus of plants of Southern Africa See also * ''Callipelis ''Callipelis'' is a genus of ground spiders cont ...

'' Platnick, 1975 — USA, Mexico *'' Callilepis nocturna'' (Linnaeus, 1758) — Europe, Caucasus, Russia (Europe to Far East), Kazakhstan, China, Japan *'' Callilepis pawani'' Gajbe, 1984 — India *'' Callilepis pluto'' Banks, 1896 — USA, Canada *'' Callilepis rajani'' Gajbe, 1984 — India *'' Callilepis rajasthanica'' Tikader & Gajbe, 1977 — India *'' Callilepis rukminiae'' Tikader & Gajbe, 1977 — India *'' Callilepis schuszteri'' (Herman, 1879) — Europe, Caucasus, Russia (Europe to Far East), China, Korea, Japan

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q510296 Gnaphosidae Gnaphosidae genera Cosmopolitan spiders