''Baltocteniza'' is an extinct

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

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 ...

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 ...

in the family Ctenizidae. At present, it contains the single species ''Baltocteniza kulickae''.Part 1part 2
PDF. The genus is solely known from the 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 ...

deposits in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

region of Europe.

History and classification

''Baltocteniza kulickae'' is known only from one fossil, the

holotype A holotype is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism, known to have been used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of sever ...

, number "no. 12 845". It is a single subadult female individual preserved in a clear amber specimen. The amber specimen was identified as significant while the authors of the type description were examining specimens in the collections housed at the Museum of Earth, Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Poland. ''B. kulickae'' was first studied by

Kirill Eskov Kirill Yuryevich Eskov (russian: Кири́лл Ю́рьевич Есько́в; born 16 September 1956) is a Russian writer, biologist and paleontologist. As an author he is known for '' The Gospel of Afranius'' in which he presents an atheistic ...

and Sergei Zonstein, with their 2000

type description A species description is a formal description of a newly discovered species, usually in the form of a scientific paper. Its purpose is to give a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differs from species that have be ...

being published in the Russian ''

Paleontological Journal ''Paleontological Journal'' (Russian: ''Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal'') is a monthly peer-reviewed Russian journal of paleontology established in 1959. It focuses on the paleontology and the fossil records of Eastern Europe and Asia. Articles are ...

''. The

generic Generic or generics may refer to: In business * Generic term, a common name used for a range or class of similar things not protected by trademark * Generic brand, a brand for a product that does not have an associated brand or trademark, other ...

name was coined by Eskov and Zonstein as a combination of "Baltic" and '' Cteniza'', the modern trapdoor spider genus for which the family was named. This is in reference to the Baltic Sea where the type specimen was found and the genus that ''Baltocteniza'' is possibly related. The specific epithet "''kulickae''" was designated by K. Eskov and S. Zonstein in honour of the late Dr. Roza Kulicka, in whose care the specimen was found.

Description

''Baltocteniza kulickae'' is in length when the

chelicerae The chelicerae () are the mouthparts of the subphylum Chelicerata, an arthropod group that includes arachnids, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. Commonly referred to as " jaws", chelicerae may be shaped as either articulated fangs, or similarl ...

are included in the measurement. Of that length the carapace is and the

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the to ...

is . The shape and general structure of the carapace indicates a close relationship to the modern genus ''

Latouchia ''Latouchia'' is a genus of Asian mygalomorph spiders in the family Halonoproctidae, first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1901. Originally placed with the Ctenizidae, it was moved to the Halonoproctidae in 2018. Species it contains twe ...

'' of Asia and the coeval ''

Electrocteniza ''Electrocteniza'' is an extinct monotypic genus of spider in the family Ctenizidae. At present, it contains the single species ''Electrocteniza sadilenkoi''. The genus is solely known from the Early Eocene Baltic amber deposits in the Baltic Se ...

'' also known only from Baltic amber. The shape of the tubercle in ''Baltocteniza'' is unlike that found in most modern genera of Ctenizidaeforms the major difference between ''Baltocteniza'', ''Electrocteniza'' and ''Latouchia''. ''Electrocteniza's'' eye tubercle is more raised than ''Latouchia'', while ''Baltocteniza'' has a much more curved anterior side of the tubercle than either of the other two genera.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2881673 Ctenizidae Eocene arthropods Prehistoric life of Europe Fossil taxa described in 2000 Mygalomorphae genera Monotypic Mygalomorphae genera Baltic amber