Sphodros niger

Sphodros niger, the black purse-web spider, is a mygalomorph spider from the Eastern United States.[1] It is listed as a special concern species in Connecticut.[2]

Sphodros niger
Sphodros niger, adult male
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
Family: Atypidae
Genus: Sphodros
Species:
S. niger
Binomial name
Sphodros niger
(Hentz, 1842)
Synonyms

Atypus niger

Description

Males have a body length of about 11 mm, 29 mm with extended legs. The body is black, except for chocolate-brown legs.[1] Although the species was first described in 1842, females were first described in 1980.[3] This results from the male's behavior of wandering about in search of mates, while females, which reside in tubes, are rarely found.

Name

The species name niger is Latin for "black".

References

  1. Fitch, Henry S. (1963): Spiders of The University of Kansas Natural History Reservation and Rockefeller Experimental Tract.
  2. "Connecticut's Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species 2015". State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Natural Resources. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  3. Platnick, Norman I. (2009): The world spider catalog, version 9.5. American Museum of Natural History.

Further reading

  • Gertsch, W.J. & Platnick, N.I. (1980). A revision of the American spiders of the family Atypidae (Araneae, Mygalomorphae). American Museum Novitates 2704. Abstract - PDF (12Mb)
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