''Stegodyphus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

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 Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

, with one species (''S. manaus'') found in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. The name is derived from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...

('' stegos''), meaning "covered". At least three species are

social spider A social spider is a spider species whose individuals form relatively long-lasting aggregations. Whereas most spiders are solitary and even aggressive toward other members of their own species, some hundreds of species in several families show a ...

s, and several are known to use

ballooning Ballooning may refer to: * Hot air ballooning * Balloon (aeronautics) * Ballooning (spider) * Ballooning degeneration, a disease * Memory ballooning See also * Balloon (disambiguation) A balloon is a flexible container for (partially or fully) co ...

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 ( ...

'' ( 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 ( ...

'' ( O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869) – Southern Africa *'' Stegodyphus dufouri'' ( Audouin, 1826) – North, West Africa *''

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

'' 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 ( ...

'' ( 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 ( ...

'' 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 al ...

'' (Latreille, 1817) ( type) – 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 (''wi ...

'' 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 ( ...

'' 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 ( ...

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

Stegodyphus mimosarum ''Stegodyphus mimosarum'', the African social velvet spider, is a species of the genus ''Stegodyphus ''Stegodyphus'' is a genus of velvet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1873. They are distributed from Africa to Europe a ...

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

Stegodyphus mirandus ''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 ( ...

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

'' 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'' Simon, 1906 – Madagascar *'' Stegodyphus tentoriicola''

Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest Eng ...

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

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...

References

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