''Heptathela'' is a
genus of
spiders that includes the
Kimura spider
''Heptathela kimurai'', the Kimura spider, or kimura-gumo (in Japanese), is an Old World spider, found primarily in Japan and named after Arika Kimura, who collected it in 1920. It belongs to the sub-order Mesothelae (primitive burrowing spiders ...
(''Heptathela kimurai''). They are trapdoor spiders of the family
Liphistiidae
The spider family Liphistiidae, recognized by Tamerlan Thorell in 1869, comprises 8 genera and about 100 species of medium-sized spiders from Southeast Asia, China, and Japan. They are among the most basal living spiders, belonging to the subord ...
and are found in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, including
Okinawa and the
Ryukyu Islands.
[ Spiders of this genus lack venom glands.][ Full text at (60 MB)]
Females are up to 25 mm long, males slightly smaller. Burrows have an oval shaped door which is hinged across the long diameter.[
]
Name
The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek ''hepta'' "seven", referring to the number of spinneret glands.
Species
, the World Spider Catalog accepted the following species:[
*'' Heptathela aha'' Xu, Ono, Kuntner, Liu & Li, 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
*'' Heptathela amamiensis'' Haupt, 1983 – Ryukyu Is.
*'' Heptathela crypta'' Xu, Ono, Kuntner, Liu & Li, 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
*'' Heptathela gayozan'' Xu, Ono, Kuntner, Liu & Li, 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
*'' Heptathela helios'' Tanikawa & Miyashita, 2014 (synonym ''H. yaginumai'' Ono, 1998) – Japan
*'' Heptathela higoensis'' Haupt, 1983 – Japan
*'' Heptathela kanenoi'' Ono, 1996 – Ryukyu Is.
*'' Heptathela kikuyai'' Ono, 1998 – Japan
*'']Heptathela kimurai
''Heptathela kimurai'', the Kimura spider, or kimura-gumo (in Japanese), is an Old World spider, found primarily in Japan and named after Arika Kimura, who collected it in 1920. It belongs to the sub-order Mesothelae (primitive burrowing spiders) ...
'' (Kishida, 1920) ( type species) – Japan
*'' Heptathela kojima'' Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
*'' Heptathela kubayama'' Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
*'' Heptathela mae'' Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
*'' Heptathela otoha'' Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
*'' Heptathela shuri'' Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
*'' Heptathela sumiyo'' Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
*'' Heptathela tokashiki'' Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
*'' Heptathela uken'' Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
*'' Heptathela unten'' Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
*'' Heptathela yakushimaensis'' Ono, 1998 – Japan
*''Heptathela yanbaruensis
''Heptathela'' is a genus of spiders that includes the Kimura spider (''Heptathela kimurai''). They are trapdoor spiders of the family Liphistiidae and are found in Japan, including Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands. Spiders of this ...
'' Haupt, 1983 – Okinawa
Many of the species formerly placed in this genus have been transferred to other genera in the family Liphistiidae, including '' Sinothela'', ''Songthela
''Songthela'' is a spider genus in the family Liphistiidae with species found in China and Vietnam.
Species list
it contains twenty-three species:
*'' Songthela bristowei'' (Gertsch, 1967) — China
*'' Songthela ciliensis'' (Yin, Tang & Xu, 2 ...
'' and '' Vinathela''.[
]
Social reference
This is the genus of spider referenced by Vincent Price in the introduction to Alice Cooper's The Black Widow on his Welcome to my Nightmare album.
References
External links
*
Pictures of ''H. kimurai'' and its burrow
{{Taxonbar, from=Q54931
Liphistiidae
Spiders of Asia
Mesothelae genera
Taxa named by Kyukichi Kishida