''Stegodyphus'' is a genus of velvet spiders that was 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 1873. They are distributed from Africa to Europe and Asia, with one species (''S. manaus'') found in Brazil. The name is derived from Ancient Greek ('' stegos''), meaning "covered". At least three species are social spiders, and several are known to use ballooning as a method of dispersal.

Species

it contains twenty species: *''

Stegodyphus africanus ''Stegodyphus'' is a genus of velvet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1873. They are distributed from Africa to Europe and Asia, with one species (''S. manaus'') found in Brazil. The name is derived from Ancient Greek ('' st ...

'' ( Blackwall, 1866) – Africa *''

Stegodyphus bicolor ''Stegodyphus'' is a genus of velvet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1873. They are distributed from Africa to Europe and Asia, with one species (''S. manaus'') found in Brazil. The name is derived from Ancient Greek ('' st ...

'' (

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 ...

, 1869) – Southern Africa *''

Stegodyphus dufouri ''Stegodyphus'' is a genus of velvet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1873. They are distributed from Africa to Europe and Asia, with one species (''S. manaus'') found in Brazil. The name is derived from Ancient Greek ('' st ...

'' ( Audouin, 1826) – North, West Africa *''

Stegodyphus dumicola Stegodyphus dumicola, commonly known as the African social spider, is a species of spider of the family Velvet spider, Eresidae or the velvet spider family. It is native to Central Africa, Central and southern Africa. This spider is one of three ...

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 ...

, 1898 – Central, Southern Africa *''

Stegodyphus hildebrandti ''Stegodyphus'' is a genus of velvet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1873. They are distributed from Africa to Europe and Asia, with one species (''S. manaus'') found in Brazil. The name is derived from Ancient Greek ('' st ...

'' ( Karsch, 1878) – Central, East Africa, Zanzibar *''

Stegodyphus hisarensis ''Stegodyphus'' is a genus of velvet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1873. They are distributed from Africa to Europe and Asia, with one species (''S. manaus'') found in Brazil. The name is derived from Ancient Greek ('' st ...

'' Arora & Monga, 1992 – India *''

Stegodyphus lineatus ''Stegodyphus lineatus'' (desert spider) is the only European species of the spider genus ''Stegodyphus.'' Male ''S. lineatus'' can grow up to 12 mm long while females can grow up to 15 mm. The colour can range from whitish to alm ...

'' (Latreille, 1817) (

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

) – Southern Europe, North Africa to Tajikistan *''

Stegodyphus lineifrons ''Stegodyphus'' is a genus of velvet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1873. They are distributed from Africa to Europe and Asia, with one species (''S. manaus'') found in Brazil. The name is derived from Ancient Greek ('' st ...

'' Pocock, 1898 – East Africa *''

Stegodyphus manaus ''Stegodyphus'' is a genus of velvet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1873. They are distributed from Africa to Europe and Asia, with one species (''S. manaus'') found in Brazil. The name is derived from Ancient Greek ('' st ...

'' Kraus & Kraus, 1992 – Brazil *''

Stegodyphus manicatus ''Stegodyphus'' is a genus of velvet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1873. They are distributed from Africa to Europe and Asia, with one species (''S. manaus'') found in Brazil. The name is derived from Ancient Greek ('' st ...

'' Simon, 1876 – North, West Africa *''

Stegodyphus mimosarum ''Stegodyphus mimosarum'', the African social velvet spider, is a species of the genus ''Stegodyphus'', one of the velvet spiders. It is a social species, which is found in South Africa and Madagascar. The genome sequence was published in 2014. S ...

'' Pavesi, 1883 – Africa, Madagascar *''

Stegodyphus mirandus ''Stegodyphus'' is a genus of Eresidae, velvet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1873. They are distributed from Africa to Europe and Asia, with one species (''S. manaus'') found in Brazil. The name is derived from Ancient Gree ...

'' Pocock, 1899 – India *'' Stegodyphus nathistmus'' Kraus & Kraus, 1989 – Morocco to Yemen *''

Stegodyphus pacificus ''Stegodyphus'' is a genus of velvet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1873. They are distributed from Africa to Europe and Asia, with one species (''S. manaus'') found in Brazil. The name is derived from Ancient Greek ('' st ...

'' Pocock, 1900 – Jordan, Iran, Pakistan, India *''

Stegodyphus sabulosus ''Stegodyphus'' is a genus of velvet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1873. They are distributed from Africa to Europe and Asia, with one species (''S. manaus'') found in Brazil. The name is derived from Ancient Greek ('' st ...

'' Tullgren, 1910 – East, Southern Africa *''

Stegodyphus sarasinorum ''Stegodyphus sarasinorum,'' also known as the Indian cooperative spider, is a species of velvet spider of the family Eresidae. It is native to India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Myanmar. This spider is a social spider that exhibits communal predation ...

'' Karsch, 1892 – India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar *''

Stegodyphus simplicifrons ''Stegodyphus'' is a genus of velvet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1873. They are distributed from Africa to Europe and Asia, with one species (''S. manaus'') found in Brazil. The name is derived from Ancient Greek ('' st ...

'' Simon, 1906 – Madagascar *''

Stegodyphus tentoriicola ''Stegodyphus'' is a genus of velvet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1873. They are distributed from Africa to Europe and Asia, with one species (''S. manaus'') found in Brazil. The name is derived from Ancient Greek ('' st ...

'' Purcell, 1904 – South Africa *'' Stegodyphus tibialis'' (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869) – India, Myanmar, Thailand, China *''

Stegodyphus tingelin ''Stegodyphus'' is a genus of velvet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1873. They are distributed from Africa to Europe and Asia, with one species (''S. manaus'') found in Brazil. The name is derived from Ancient Greek ('' st ...

'' Kraus & Kraus, 1989 – Cameroon Colonial Spiders (Stegodyphus dumicola) (6607372243).jpg, The community nesting spider, '' S. dumicola''

Kruger National Park Kruger National Park is a South African National Park and one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa, and extends from north to south and from ea ...

Social spider (Stegodyphus dumicola) nest.jpg, Nest of ''S. dumicola''

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is locate ...

, South Africa

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1835835 Araneomorphae genera Eresidae Spiders of Africa Spiders of Asia Spiders of Brazil Taxa named by Eugène Simon