Bauble spiders: a new species of Achaearanea (Araneae: Theridiidae) with ingenious spiral retreats

A new species of Achaearanea (Theridiidae) is described from the Cedarberg in South Africa. Its unusual morphological features include the position of the spinnerets directly behind the epigastric fold. The male palp is a modification of the palpal conformation of other Achaearanea. This spider live...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of natural history Vol. 28; no. 6; pp. 1287 - 1295
Main Authors Henschel, J.R., Jocqué, R.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Taylor & Francis Group 01.12.1994
Subjects
Achaearanea
ant prey
Araneae
egg case
predator defense
retreat
S. Africa
taxonomy
Theridiidae
South Africa
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Summary:A new species of Achaearanea (Theridiidae) is described from the Cedarberg in South Africa. Its unusual morphological features include the position of the spinnerets directly behind the epigastric fold. The male palp is a modification of the palpal conformation of other Achaearanea. This spider lives in a spherical retreat comprizing silk, sand and pebbles. This structure typically dangles from only one thread and has a tiny opening at the bottom that leads into a spirally-coiled tunnel. Males and females build spirals in opposite directions. This enables the male to construct his retreat against that of the female in such a way as to form a brood chamber. Retreats are situated in cool places under low overhanging rocks or branches. The configuration of the narrow, suspended retreat may decrease the spider's vulnerability to enemies while foraging for ants in a typical theridiid fashion.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
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ISSN:0022-2933
1464-5262
DOI:10.1080/00222939400770651