'' Idiops crassus'' and its trapdoor nest entrance ''Idiops'' 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 armored trapdoor spiders that was first described by Josef Anton Maximilian Perty in 1833. It is the type genus of the spurred trapdoor spiders, Idiopidae. ''Idiops'' is also the most species-rich genus of the family, and is found at widely separated locations in the Neotropics,

Afrotropics The Afrotropical realm is one of Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the island ...

, Indomalaya and the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

. Females live in tubular burrows lined with a thick layer of white silk. These typically have a D-shaped lid that fits into the entrance like a cork, and some burrows have two entrances. The lid may consist of mud, moss or lichen, which is bound below by a thick layer of silk. As in all genera of this family, the anterior lateral eyes (ALE) are situated near the clypeal margin, far in front of the remaining six eyes, which are arranged in a tight group. The males which are smaller in size, wander about or occasionally live in burrows. Like other

mygalomorphs The Mygalomorphae, or mygalomorphs, are an infraorder of spiders, and comprise one of three major groups of living spiders with over 3000 species, found on all continents except Antarctica. Many members are known as trapdoor spiders due to th ...

, they are relatively large and long-lived. Forest clearance and agricultural practices that loosen the soil and enhance erosion, besides soil removal for brick making have been pointed out as serious threats to some Indian species. Species ranges are poorly known – in India for instance, most species are known only from their type localities.

Species

it contains ninety-three species and one subspecies found in South America, Africa, South Asia and the Middle East: *'' I. angusticeps'' (

Pocock Pocock is a surname, and may refer to: *Andrew Pocock (born 1955), British High Commissioner to Nigeria * Barbara Pocock, one of the candidates of the 2022 Australian federal election * Bill Pocock (1884–1959), English footballer * Blair Pocock ...

, 1900) – West Africa *'' I. argus'' Simon, 1889 – Venezuela *'' I. arnoldi'' Hewitt, 1914 – South Africa *'' I. aussereri'' Simon, 1876 – Congo *'' I. bersebaensis'' Strand, 1917 – Namibia *'' I. bombayensis'' Siliwal, Molur & Biswas, 2005 – India *'' I. bonapartei'' Hasselt, 1888 – Suriname *'' I. briodae'' (Schenkel, 1937) – Zimbabwe *'' I. cambridgei'' Ausserer, 1875 – Colombia *'' I. camelus'' ( Mello-Leitão, 1937) – Brazil *'' I. carajas'' Fonseca-Ferreira, Zampaulo & Guadanucci, 2017 – Brazil *'' I. castaneus'' Hewitt, 1913 – South Africa *'' I. clarus'' (Mello-Leitão, 1946) – Argentina, Uruguay *'' I. constructor'' (Pocock, 1900) – India *'' I. crassus'' Simon, 1884 – Myanmar *'' I. crudeni'' (Hewitt, 1914) – South Africa *'' I. curvicalcar'' Roewer, 1953 – Congo *'' I. curvipes'' ( Thorell, 1899) – Cameroon *'' I. damarensis'' Hewitt, 1934 – Namibia *'' I. designatus''

O. Pickard-Cambridge Octavius Pickard-Cambridge FRS (3 November 1828 – 9 March 1917) was an English clergyman and zoologist. He was a keen arachnologist who described and named more than 900 species of spider. Life and work Pickard-Cambridge was born in Blox ...

, 1885 – India *'' I. fageli'' Roewer, 1953 – Congo *'' I. flaveolus'' (Pocock, 1901) – South Africa *'' I. fortis'' (Pocock, 1900) – India *'' I. fossor'' (Pocock, 1900) – India *'' I. fryi'' ( Purcell, 1903) – South Africa *'' I. fulvipes'' Simon, 1889 – Venezuela *'' I. fuscus'' Perty, 1833 ( type) – Brazil *'' I. gerhardti'' Hewitt, 1913 – South Africa *'' I. germaini'' Simon, 1892 – Brazil *'' I. gracilipes'' (Hewitt, 1919) – South Africa *'' I. grandis'' (Hewitt, 1915) – South Africa *'' I. gunningi'' Hewitt, 1913 – South Africa **'' Idiops g. elongatus'' Hewitt, 1915 – South Africa *'' I. hamiltoni'' (Pocock, 1902) – South Africa *'' I. harti'' (Pocock, 1893) – St. Vincent *'' I. hepburni'' (Hewitt, 1919) – South Africa, Lesotho *'' I. hirsutipedis'' Mello-Leitão, 1941 – Argentina *'' I. hirsutus'' (Hewitt, 1919) – South Africa *'' I. joida'' Gupta, Das & Siliwal, 2013 – India *'' I. kaasensis'' Mirza, Vaze & Sanap, 2012 – India *'' I. kanonganus'' Roewer, 1953 – Congo *'' I. kaperonis'' Roewer, 1953 – Congo *'' I. kazibius'' Roewer, 1953 – Congo *'' I. kentanicus'' (Purcell, 1903) – South Africa *'' I. lacustris'' (Pocock, 1897) – Tanzania *'' I. lusingius'' Roewer, 1953 – Congo *'' I. madrasensis'' ( Tikader, 1977) – India *'' I. mafae'' Lawrence, 1927 – Namibia *'' I. meadei'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1870 – Uganda *'' I. melloleitaoi'' ( Caporiacco, 1949) – Kenya *'' I. mettupalayam'' Ganeshkumar & Siliwal, 2013 – India *'' I. microps'' (Hewitt, 1913) – South Africa *'' I. minguito'' Ferretti, 2017 – Argentina *'' I. monticola'' (Hewitt, 1916) – South Africa *'' I. monticoloides'' (Hewitt, 1919) – South Africa *'' I. mossambicus'' (Hewitt, 1919) – Mozambique *'' I. munois'' Roewer, 1953 – Congo *'' I. neglectus''

L. Koch Ludwig Carl Christian Koch (8 November 1825 – 1 November 1908) was a German entomologist and arachnologist. He was born in Regensburg, Germany, and died in Nuremberg, Germany. He studied in Nuremberg, initially law, but then turned to medicin ...

, 1875 – Unknown *'' I. nigropilosus'' (Hewitt, 1919) – South Africa *'' I. ochreolus'' (Pocock, 1902) – South Africa *'' I. opifex'' (Simon, 1889) – French Guiana *'' I. oriya'' Siliwal, 2013 – India *'' I. palapyi'' Tucker, 1917 – Botswana *'' I. pallidipes'' Purcell, 1908 – Namibia *'' I. parvus'' Hewitt, 1915 – South Africa *'' I. petiti'' (Guérin, 1838) – Brazil *'' I. piluso'' Ferretti, Nime & Mattoni, 2017 – Argentina *'' I. pirassununguensis'' Fukami & Lucas, 2005 – Brazil *'' I. prescotti'' Schenkel, 1937 – Tanzania *'' I. pretoriae'' (Pocock, 1898) – South Africa *'' I. pulcher'' Hewitt, 1914 – South Africa *'' I. pulloides'' Hewitt, 1919 – South Africa *'' I. pullus'' Tucker, 1917 – South Africa *'' I. pungwensis'' Purcell, 1904 – South Africa *'' I. pylorus'' Schwendinger, 1991 – Thailand *'' I. rastratus'' (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889) – Brazil *'' I. robustus'' (Pocock, 1898) – East Africa *'' I. rohdei'' Karsch, 1886 – Paraguay *'' I. royi'' Roewer, 1961 – Senegal *'' I. rubrolimbatus'' Mirza & Sanap, 2012 – India *'' I. santaremius'' ( F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896) – Brazil *'' I. schenkeli'' Lessert, 1938 – Congo *'' I. siolii'' (Bücherl, 1953) – Brazil *'' I. straeleni'' Roewer, 1953 – Congo *'' I. striatipes'' Purcell, 1908 – Botswana *'' I. sylvestris'' (Hewitt, 1925) – South Africa *'' I. syriacus'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1870 – Syria, Israel *'' I. thorelli'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1870 – South Africa *'' I. tolengo'' Ferretti, 2017 – Argentina *'' I. upembensis'' Roewer, 1953 – Congo *'' I. vandami'' (Hewitt, 1925) – South Africa *'' I. versicolor'' (Purcell, 1903) – South Africa *'' I. wittei'' Roewer, 1953 – Congo *'' I. yemenensis'' Simon, 1890 – Yemen

References

Idiopidae Mygalomorphae genera Spiders of Africa Spiders of Asia Spiders of South America Taxa named by Maximilian Perty {{Mygalomorphae-stub

Species

See also

References