''Periegops'' is a
genus of
spiders with six eyes instead of the usual eight. It is the only genus in its
family (Periegopidae) and has three described
species.
It was long considered to be members of
Sicariidae or
Segestriidae
Tube-dwelling spiders (Segestriidae) are a family of araneomorph spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1893. It consists of five genera, two large and widespread, '' Segestria'' and ''Ariadna'', and three smaller genera, '' Citharoceps'', ...
until
Raymond Forster elevated them to the family level in 1995.
Taxonomy
''Periegops'' was first described in 1893 by
Eugene Simon from a specimen of ''P. hirsutus'' (A synonym of ''P. suterii'').
[Simon, E. (1893a). ''Histoire naturelle das araignées''. Paris 1, 257-488. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.51973]
Description
This genus of spider has only six eyes, as opposed to eight, which is typical for spiders. Body length varies from 5.9mm to 10mm depending on species and sex. Carapace is an orange colour and is darker on the anterior side. Abdomen is brown or creamy brown and usually have a chevron pattern. The family can be distinguished by the pattern of eye positions, which are in three clusters of two eyes.
Species
, the
World Spider Catalog accepts the following species:
*Periegops
Simon, 1893
**''
Periegops australia
''Periegops australia'' is a species of spider in the genus ''Periegops'' that is endemic to South East Queensland in Australia.Forster, R. R. (1995b). The Australasian spider family Periegopidae Simon, 1893 (Araneae: Sicarioidea). ''Records of t ...
''
Forster, 1995 — Australia (Queensland)
** ''
Periegops keani
''Periegops keani'' is a species of spider in the genus ''Periegops'' that is endemic to the North Island of New Zealand.
Taxonomy
''Periegops keani'' was described in 2013. The species is named after John Kean, who helped collect type specim ...
''
Vink, Dupérré & Malumbres-Olarte, 2013 — New Zealand (North Island)
** ''
Periegops suteri
''Periegops suterii'' is a species of spider in the genus ''Periegops'' that is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand.Vink, CJ; Dupérré, N; Malumbres-Olarte, J 2013. Periegopidae (Arachnida: Araneae). ''Fauna of New Zealand 70'', 41 pages. ...
i''
(Urquhart, 1892) — New Zealand (South Island)
Habitat
''Periegops'' occur in forest habitat, where there are deep leaf litter layers and well drained soil.
Behaviour
No ''Periegops'' species has been observed creating webs for prey capture, but rather has been observed using silk to create
drag lines and silk retreats. ''Periegops'' are likely all fast moving,
nocturnal
Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite.
Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...
hunters.
In ''P. suterii'', females have been found with two to three males with them, which may imply that the female has a way of attracting males to them.
References
External links
''Periegops suteri''(PDF, p16, with picture)
* (2014)
version 14.5. ''American Museum of Natural History''.
Spiders of Australia
Spiders of New Zealand
Araneomorphae genera
Periegopidae
{{Araneomorphae-stub