''Theridiosoma'' 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
ray spiders that was first described by
Octavius Pickard-Cambridge
Octavius Pickard-Cambridge Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (3 November 1828 – 9 March 1917) was an England, English clergyman and zoologist. He was a keen arachnologist who described and named more than 900 species of spider.
Life and wor ...
in 1879.
They use their web as a high speed slingshot to actively hunt for prey.
Description
Mature spiders in this genus have a body length of 0.5–2.5 mm. The
carapace
A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...
ranges from dark brown to light tan, sometimes with distinct markings around the eye region or
fovea
Fovea () (Latin for "pit"; plural foveae ) is a term in anatomy. It refers to a pit or depression in a structure.
Human anatomy
*Fovea centralis of the retina
* Fovea buccalis or Dimple
* Fovea of the femoral head
* Trochlear fovea of the fr ...
, The sternum is smooth, with sparse bristles, and is usually darker towards the margin. A pit organ is present on the anterior margin of the sternum, at both corners. The abdomen is ovoid in shape, and taller than wide or long; the dorsal side of the abdomen often bears a light, thin median band and/or symmetrical light spots, the ventral side is dark. The metatarsi of the legs are typically shorter than the tibiae. As with other spiders in the family, the tibiae of the 3rd and 4th legs bear a group of long, vibration-sensitive
trichobothria
Trichobothria (singular trichobothrium) are elongate setae ("hairs") present in arachnids, various orders of insects, and myriapods that function in the detection of airborne vibrations and currents, and electrical charge. In 1883, Friedrich Dahl ...
. Species in this genus exhibit only slight
sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...
; males are similar to females in colouration but are slightly smaller, with proportionally longer legs.
The eyes are all approximately equal in size. The PME are very close together, sometimes touching, separated by less than half their diameter. The AME are also close together, but are typically separated by around half their diameter.
Distribution and habitat
This genus is found throughout the world.
Their preferred habitat is typical for the family; they construct a web in wet, shaded understories of forests,
Behaviour
All species construct a vertical orb web in dark, damp places. At the end of web construction, the radial threads are fused at the centre so that only four, the "rays", reach the hub. The spider's rear legs are used to hold these rays while the front legs hold onto an extra line of thread, which is used to pull the web into a cone and keep it under tension. When potential prey nears the web the spider releases the tension in the web, causing it to slam into the prey. The spider then bites the prey, and wraps it in silk.
The speeds with which the spiders slingshot themselves is very high; speeds exceeding 4.1m/s with accelerations exceeding 1300m/s
2 have been observed.
Species
it contains thirty-three species, found in Oceania, Asia, Central America, Africa, South America, North America, Europe, and the Caribbean:
*''
Theridiosoma ankas
''Theridiosoma'' is a genus of ray spiders that was first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1879. They use their web as a high speed slingshot to actively hunt for prey.
Description
Mature spiders in this genus have a body length of 0 ...
''
Dupérré & Tapia, 2017 –
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
*''
Theridiosoma argenteolunulatum''
Simon
Simon may refer to:
People
* Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon
* Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon
* Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...
, 1897 –
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
,
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
*''
Theridiosoma blaisei''
Simon, 1903 –
Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...
*''
Theridiosoma caaguara
''Theridiosoma'' is a genus of ray spiders that was first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1879. They use their web as a high speed slingshot to actively hunt for prey.
Description
Mature spiders in this genus have a body length of 0 ...
''
Rodrigues & Ott, 2005 –
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 ...
*''
Theridiosoma chiripa''
Rodrigues & Ott, 2005 – Brazil
*''
Theridiosoma circuloargenteum''
Wunderlich, 1976 –
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
(
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
)
*''
Theridiosoma concolor
''Theridiosoma'' is a genus of ray spiders that was first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1879. They use their web as a high speed slingshot to actively hunt for prey.
Description
Mature spiders in this genus have a body length of 0 ...
''
Keyserling, 1884 –
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, Brazil
*''
Theridiosoma davisi
''Theridiosoma'' is a genus of ray spiders that was first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1879. They use their web as a high speed slingshot to actively hunt for prey.
Description
Mature spiders in this genus have a body length of 0 ...
''
Archer
Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...
, 1953 – Mexico
*''
Theridiosoma diwang''
Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009 –
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
*''
Theridiosoma epeiroides''
Bösenberg & Strand
Strand may refer to:
Topography
*The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a:
** Beach
** Shoreline
* Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida
Places Africa
* Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa
* Strand Street ...
, 1906 –
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
(Far East),
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
*''
Theridiosoma esmeraldas''
Dupérré & Tapia, 2017 – Ecuador
*''
Theridiosoma fasciatum''
Workman, 1896 –
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
(
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
)
*''
Theridiosoma gemmosum''
(L. Koch, 1877) (
type) –
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
,
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 ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
,
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, Japan
*''
Theridiosoma genevensium''
( Brignoli, 1972) –
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
*''
Theridiosoma goodnightorum''
Archer, 1953 – Mexico to Costa Rica
*''
Theridiosoma kikuyu''
Brignoli, 1979 –
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
*''
Theridiosoma kullki''
Dupérré & Tapia, 2017 – Ecuador
*''
Theridiosoma latebricola''
Locket, 1968 –
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
*''
Theridiosoma lopdelli''
Marples, 1955 –
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
*''
Theridiosoma lucidum''
Simon, 1897 – Venezuela
*''
Theridiosoma nebulosum''
Simon, 1901 –
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
*''
Theridiosoma nechodomae''
Petrunkevitch, 1930 –
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
,
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
*''
Theridiosoma obscurum''
(Keyserling, 1886) – Brazil
*''
Theridiosoma picteti''
Simon, 1893 – Indonesia (Sumatra)
*''
Theridiosoma plumarium''
Zhao & Li, 2012 – China
*''
Theridiosoma sacha''
Dupérré & Tapia, 2017 – Ecuador
*''
Theridiosoma sancristobalensis''
Baert, 2014 – Ecuador (Galapagos Is.)
*''
Theridiosoma savannum''
Chamberlin
The Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument that was a precursor to the Mellotron. It was developed and patented by the American inventor Harry Chamberlin from 1949 to 1956, when the first model was introduced. There are several ...
& Ivie, 1944 – USA
*''
Theridiosoma shuangbi''
Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009 – China
*''
Theridiosoma taiwanica''
Zhang, Zhu & Tso, 2006 –
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
*''
Theridiosoma triumphale''
Zhao & Li, 2012 – China
*''
Theridiosoma vimineum''
Zhao & Li, 2012 – China
*''
Theridiosoma zygops''
(Chamberlin & Ivie, 1936) –
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
Formerly included:
*''T. albonotatum''
Petrunkevitch, 1930 (Transferred to ''
Baalzebub'')
*''T. benoiti''
Roberts, 1978 (Transferred to ''
Andasta'')
*''T. brauni''
Wunderlich, 1976 (Transferred to ''Baalzebub'')
*''T. fauna''
Simon, 1897 (Transferred to ''
Naatlo'')
*''T. nigrum''
(Keyserling, 1886) (Transferred to ''
Wendilgarda'')
*''T. semiargenteum''
(Simon, 1895) (Transferred to ''Andasta'')
*''T. splendidum''
(Taczanowski, 1873) (Transferred to ''Naatlo'')
*''T. sylvicola''
Hingston, 1932 (Transferred to ''Naatlo'')
See also
*
List of Theridiosomatidae species
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3523820
Araneomorphae genera
Cosmopolitan spiders
Taxa named by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge
Theridiosomatidae