Paracyrba

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paracyrba
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Salticidae
Subfamily: Spartaeinae
Genus: Paracyrba
Żabka & Kovac, 1996[1]
Species:
P. wanlessi
Binomial name
Paracyrba wanlessi
Zabka & Kovac, 1996[1]

Paracyrba is a genus of jumping spiders found only in Malaysia. It contains only one species, Paracyrba wanlessi.[1] Its microhabitat are the water-filled hollow internodes of decaying bamboo, where it preys for aquatic animals, especially mosquito larvae.[2] P. wanlessi and Evarcha culicivora, a jumping spider, are the only two spiders that have been experimentally studied and considered a mosquito specialist. E. culicivora indirectly feeds vertebrate blood by preying female mosquitos that carry blood.[3] In general only one specimen is found per occupied bamboo internode.[4]

Description[]

Females are up to 9 mm long, males 7 to 8. The spiders is generally dark colored. On the flattened carapace, there is a central whitish band, which is much larger in the female. On the opisthosoma there are four to five transverse, yellowish bands, and a light area near the spinnerets. The long, thin legs are suited for their stealthy, non-jumping movements. The genitals are very similar to those of Cyrba, and P. wanlessi seems to have separated from it mainly due to its lifestyle.[4]

Name[]

The genus name is a combination of the Ancient Greek para "near to" and the name of the related genus Cyrba. The species is named in honor of , who contributed much to the knowledge about the subfamily Spartaeinae.

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ a b c "Salticidae". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
  2. ^ Zhang et al. 2006
  3. ^ Jackson, Robert R., and Fiona R. Cross. "Mosquito-terminator spiders and the meaning of predatory specialization." The Journal of Arachnology 43.2 (2015): 123-142.
  4. ^ a b Murphy & Murphy 2000: 294

References[]

  • Murphy, Frances & Murphy, John (2000): An Introduction to the Spiders of South East Asia. Malaysian Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur.
  • Zhang, J.X.; Woon, J.R.W. & Li, D. (2006): A new genus and species of jumping spiders (Araneae:Salticidae:Spartaeinae) from Malaysia. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 54(2): 241-244. PDF

Footnotes[]

Retrieved from ""