Nursery web spiders (Pisauridae) is a family of
araneomorph
The Araneomorphae (also called the Labidognatha) are an infraorder of spiders. They are distinguishable by chelicerae (fangs) that point diagonally forward and cross in a pinching action, in contrast to the Mygalomorphae (tarantulas and their cl ...
spider
Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...
s first described by
Eugène Simon
Eugène Louis Simon (; 30 April 1848 – 17 November 1924) was a French naturalist who worked particularly on insects and spiders, but also on birds and plants. He is by far the most prolific spider taxonomist in history, describing over 4, ...
in 1890. They resemble
wolf spider
Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae (). They are robust and agile hunters with excellent eyesight. They live mostly in solitude, hunt alone, and do not spin webs. Some are opportunistic hunters, pouncing upon prey as they find it or ...
s (Lycosidae) except for several key differences. Wolf spiders have two very prominent eyes in addition to the other six, while a nursery web spider's eyes are all about the same size. Additionally, female nursery web spiders carry their egg sacs with their
jaw
The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term ''jaws'' is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serv ...
s and
pedipalp
Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi) are the second pair of appendages of chelicerates – a group of arthropods including spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. The pedipalps are lateral to the chelicerae ("jaws") and ...
s instead of attaching them to their
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 ...
as wolf spiders do. When the eggs are about to hatch, a female spider builds a nursery "tent", places her egg sac inside, and stands guard outside, hence the family's common name. Like the wolf spiders, however, the nursery web spiders are roaming hunters that don't use webs for catching prey.
Species occur throughout the world except for extremely dry or cold environments, and are common just about everywhere. Many can walk on the surface of still bodies of water and may even dive beneath the surface temporarily to escape enemies. They can jump a distance of , but they have trouble climbing extremely smooth surfaces such as
glass
Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of ...
.
The name "nursery web spider" is especially given to the European species ''
Pisaura mirabilis
The nursery web spider ''Pisaura mirabilis'' is a spider species of the family Pisauridae.
Description
Striking characteristics of ''Pisaura mirabilis'' are its long legs (the fourth one being the longest) and its slender abdomen (opisthosoma ...
'', but this family also includes
fishing spider
''Dolomedes'' is a genus of large spiders of the family Nursery web spider, Pisauridae. They are also known as fishing spiders, raft spiders, dock spiders or wharf spiders. Almost all ''Dolomedes'' species are semiaquatic, with the exception o ...
s and
raft spider
The raft spider, scientific name ''Dolomedes fimbriatus'', is a large semi-aquatic spider of the family Pisauridae found throughout north-western and central Europe. It is one of only two species of the genus ''Dolomedes'' found in Europe, the ot ...
s. Adult female specimens may reach up to 15mm in length, excluding legs. The legs of the male are longer in relation to body size than those of the female.
The female spider sometimes attempts to eat the male after mating. The male, to reduce the risk of this, often presents the female with a gift such as a fly when approaching in the hope that this will satisfy her hunger. Sometimes, this gift is a fake present intended to fool the female. Males may wrap the fake gift in silk, to deceive the female to mate. Females can detect the fake gift and terminate mating, negating the male's deception in not giving a real gift.
Genera
, 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 ...
accepts the following genera:
*''
Afropisaura
''Afropisaura'' is a genus of African nursery web spiders that was first described by P. Blandin in 1976. it contains only three species, found only in Africa: '' A. ducis'', '' A. rothiformis'', and '' A. valida''.
See also
* List of Pisaurida ...
''
Blandin, 1976 — Africa
*''
Archipirata
''Archipirata'' is a monotypic genus of Asian nursery web spiders containing the single species, ''Archipirata tataricus''. It was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1898, and is only found in Asia and Turkmenistan.
See also
* List of Pi ...
''
Simon, 1898 — Turkmenistan, China
*''
Architis
''Architis'' is a genus of nursery web spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1898.
Species
it contains twenty-one species, found only in South America, Panama, and on Trinidad:
*'' Architis altamira'' Santos, 2007 – Bra ...
''
Simon, 1898 — South America, Trinidad, Panama
*''
Blandinia
''Blandinia'' is a genus of spiders in the family Pisauridae. It was first described in 2016 by Tonini, et al. , it contains only one species, ''Blandinia mahasoana'', from Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Rep ...
''
Tonini, Paulo da Silva, Serpa Filho & Freitas, 2016 — Madagascar
*''
Bradystichus''
Simon, 1884 — New Caledonia
*''
Caledomedes
''Caledomedes'' is a genus of nursery web spiders containing the single species, ''Caledomedes flavovittatus''. It was first described by Robert J. Raven
Robert John Raven is an Australian arachnologist, being the Head of Terrestrial Biodive ...
''
Raven & Hebron, 2018 — New Caledonia
*''
Caripetella
''Caripetella'' is a monotypic genus of East African nursery web spiders containing the single species, ''Caripetella madagascariensis''. It was first described by Embrik Strand in 1928, and is only found on Comoros and on Madagascar.
See also
...
''
Strand, 1928 — Madagascar, Comoros
*''
Charminus
''Charminus'' is a genus of nursery web spiders that was first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1899.
Species
it contains nine species and one subspecies, found only in Africa:
*'' Charminus aethiopicus'' ( Caporiacco, 1939) – Ethiopia, Kenya ...
''
Thorell, 1899 — Africa
*''
Chiasmopes
''Chiasmopes'' is a genus of nursery web spiders that was first described by P. Pavesi in 1883.
Species
it contains four species, found only in Africa:
*'' Chiasmopes hystrix'' (Berland, 1922) – Ethiopia
*'' Chiasmopes lineatus'' ( Pocock, 18 ...
''
Pavesi, 1883 — Ethiopia, Namibia, South Africa
*''
Cispinilus
''Cispinilus'' is a monotypic genus of Central African nursery web spiders containing the single species, ''Cispinilus flavidus''. It was first described by Carl Friedrich Roewer in 1955, and is only found in Africa.
See also
* List of Pisaurida ...
''
Roewer, 1955 — Central Africa
*''
Cispius
Cispius is the '' nomen'' of the Roman '' gens Cispia''.
Cispius Laevus
The ''Mons Cispius'', or Cispian Hill, is one of several summits of the Esquiline Hill in Rome. The grammarian Festus says that it was named for a Cispius Laevus of Anagnia, ...
''
Simon, 1898 — South Africa, Congo
*''
Cladycnis
''Cladycnis'' is a monotypic genus of nursery web spiders containing the single species, ''Cladycnis insignis''. It was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1898, and is only found on the Canary Islands.
See also
* List of Pisauridae spec ...
''
Simon, 1898 — Canary Is.
*''
Conakrya
''Conakrya'' is a monotypic genus of Guinean nursery web spiders containing the single species, ''Conakrya wolffi''. It was first described by Günter E. W. Schmidt in 1956, and is only found in Guinea.
See also
* List of Pisauridae species
...
''
Schmidt, 1956 — Guinea
*''
Dendrolycosa
''Dendrolycosa'' is a genus of nursery web spiders that was first described by Carl Ludwig Doleschall in 1859.
Species
it contains seventeen species, found only in Oceania, Africa, and Asia:
*'' Dendrolycosa bairdi'' Jäger, 2011 – Laos
*'' ...
''
Doleschall, 1859 — Asia, Africa, Oceania
*''
Dolomedes
''Dolomedes'' is a genus of large spiders of the family Pisauridae. They are also known as fishing spiders, raft spiders, dock spiders or wharf spiders. Almost all ''Dolomedes'' species are semiaquatic, with the exception of the tree-dwelling ...
''
Latreille, 1804 — Africa, Oceania, South America, North America, Asia, Cuba
*''
Eucamptopus''
Pocock, 1900 — India
*''
Euprosthenops''
Pocock, 1897 — Africa, India
*''
Euprosthenopsis''
Blandin, 1974 — Africa
*''
Hala''
Jocqué, 1994 — Madagascar
*''
Hygropoda''
Thorell, 1894 — Africa, Asia, Australia
*''
Ilipula''
Simon, 1903 — Vietnam
*''
Inola''
Davies, 1982 — Australia
*''
Mangromedes''
Raven, 2018 — Australia
*''
Maypacius''
Simon, 1898 — Africa
*''
Megadolomedes
''Megadolomedes'' is a genus of spider in the family Pisauridae. The genus contains only one species, ''Megadolomedes australianus'', commonly known as the giant water spider. It is one of Australia's largest spiders, with a legspan of up to 18&n ...
''
Davies & Raven, 1980 — Australia
*''
Nilus''
O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876 — Asia, Africa
*''
Ornodolomedes''
Raven & Hebron, 2018 — Australia
*''
Papakula''
Strand, 1911 — Indonesia
*''
Paracladycnis''
Blandin, 1979 — Madagascar
*''
Perenethis''
L. Koch, 1878 — Asia, Comoros, Oceania
*''
Phalaeops''
Roewer, 1955 — Mozambique, Djibouti
*''
Pisaura''
Simon, 1886 — Asia
*''
Pisaurina''
Simon, 1898 — United States, Canada, Cuba
*''
Polyboea
In Greek mythology, Polyboea (; Ancient Greek: , meaning "worth much cattle"), is a name that refers to:
* Polyboea, a sister of Hyacinthus who died a virgin and was believed to have been taken to Elysium by Aphrodite, Athena and Artemis, togeth ...
''
Thorell, 1895 — Asia
*''
Qianlingula''
Zhang, Zhu & Song, 2004
*''
Rothus''
Simon, 1898 — Israel, South Africa
*''
Sphedanus
''Sphedanus'' is a genus of Asian nursery web spiders that was first described by Tamerlan Thorell
Tord Tamerlan Teodor Thorell (3 May 1830 – 22 December 1901) was a Swedish arachnologist.
Thorell studied spiders with Giacomo Doria at the ...
''
Thorell, 1877 — Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia
*''
Stoliczka''
O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1885 — Pakistan
*''
Tallonia''
Simon, 1889 — Madagascar
*''
Tapinothele''
Simon, 1898 — Tanzania
*''
Tapinothelella''
Strand, 1909 — South Africa
*''
Tapinothelops''
Roewer, 1955 — Ethiopia
*''
Tasmomedes''
Raven, 2018 — Australia
*''
Tetragonophthalma''
Karsch, 1878 —
*''
Thalassiopsis''
Roewer, 1955 — Madagascar
*''
Thaumasia''
Perty, 1833 — Central America, South America, Mexico
*''
Tinus''
F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1901 — India, Cuba, North America, Central America
*''
Tolma''
Jocqué, 1994 — Madagascar
*''
Voraptipus''
Roewer, 1955 — Mozambique
*''
Vuattouxia''
Blandin, 1979 — Côte d'Ivoire
*''
Walrencea''
Blandin, 1979 — South Africa
Some fossilized spiders have also been assigned to this family:
*
†''
Eopisaurella''
Petrunkevitch, 1958 (Early Eocene;
Baltic amber
The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of amber, called Baltic amber or succinite. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that these forests created more than 1 ...
)
* †''
Palaeoperenethis''
Seldon & Penney, 2009 (
Ypresian
In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age (geology), age or lowest stage (stratigraphy), stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by th ...
, British Columbia, Canada)
Gallery
Brown spider.jpg, Nursery web spider carrying egg sac
Libelle fg1.jpg, ''Megadolomedes australianus'' with a dragonfly as prey
See also
*
List of Pisauridae species
This article lists all described species of the spider family Pisauridae accepted by the World Spider Catalog :
A ''Afropisaura''
''Afropisaura'' Blandin, 1976
* '' A. ducis'' (Strand, 1913) — West, Central, East Africa
* '' A. rothiformis'' ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nursery Web Spider
*