Prodidominae

Prodidominae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Gnaphosidae
Subfamily:	Prodidominae Simon, 1884
Genera
See text.

Prodidominae is a spider subfamily, sometimes called long-spinneret ground spiders. It was formerly regarded as a separate family, Prodidomidae, which was reduced to a subfamily of the Gnaphosidae in 2018.^[1][2]

Spiders in the subfamily are easily identified by the greatly elongated base of the piriform gland spigots. At least parts of their body are covered with shiny scales or setae. The posterior median eyes are flat and silvery, with a triangular, egg-shaped or irregularly rectangular shape.^[3]

Biology[]

Spiders in the Prodidominae are ground dwellers. Most species are nocturnal and hide during the day in litter, but Myandra species, which are probably mimicking ants, seem to be active during the day.^[3] The genus Zimiris is synanthropic and thus found throughout the tropics.

Distribution[]

Although was described from Turkmenistan by Eugène Simon, it is suspected that Simon accidentally exchanged its locality with that of Anagraphis (Gnaphosidae); then T. walteri would have been collected in the Cape of Good Hope, while A. pallens is from Turkmenistan.^[4]

Genera[]

Genera included:^{[citation needed]}

• Anagrina Berland, 1920 — Africa
• Austrodomus Lawrence, 1947 — South Africa
• Caudalia Alayón, 1980 — Cuba
• Chileomma Platnick, Shadab & Sorkin, 2005 — Chile
• Chileuma Platnick, Shadab & Sorkin, 2005 — Chile
• Chilongius Platnick, Shadab & Sorkin, 2005 — Chile
• Cryptoerithus Rainbow, 1915 — Australia
• Eleleis Simon, 1893 — South Africa
• Encoptarthria Main, 1954 — Australia
• Katumbea Cooke, 1964 — Tanzania
• Lygromma Simon, 1893 — Costa Rica to Brazil, Galapagos
• Lygrommatoides Strand, 1918 — Japan
• Molycria Simon, 1887 — Australia
• Moreno Mello-Leitão, 1940 — Chile, Argentina
• Myandra Simon, 1887 — Australia
• Namundra Platnick & Bird, 2007 — Africa
• Neozimiris Simon, 1903 — USA, Mexico, Panama, Galapagos, Bahamas
• Nomindra Platnick & Baehr, 2006 — Australia
• Oltacloea Mello-Leitão, 1940 — Brazil, Argentina
• Plutonodomus Cooke, 1964 — Tanzania
• Prodida Dalmas, 1919 — Philippines, Seychelles
• Prodidomus Hentz, 1847 — Mediterranean, Africa, Australia, Asia, Venezuela, Hawaii
• Purcelliana Cooke, 1964 — South Africa
• Theuma Simon, 1893 — Africa, Turkmenistan?
• Theumella Strand, 1906 — Ethiopia
• Tivodrassus Chamberlin & Ivie, 1936 — Mexico
• Tricongius Simon, 1892 — South America
• Wesmaldra Platnick & Baehr, 2006 — Australia
• Wydundra Platnick & Baehr, 2006 — Australia, Malaysia, Moluccas
• Zimirina Dalmas, 1919 — Spain, Algeria, Canary Islands, South Africa
• Zimiris Simon, 1882 — Circumtropical

A 2020 phylogenetic analysis involving 59 species of Prodidominae and 32 outgroup species did not recover Propidominae as monophyletic because Anagrina did not arise within the subfamily.^[5] The study re-established Molycriinae (including genera Cryptoerithus, Molycria, Nomindra, Wesmaldra, and Wydundra) as a distinct subfamily in Gnaphosidae, a sister to Prodidominae.^[5]

References[]

Bibliography[]

• Platnick, N.I. & Penney, D. (2004): A Revision of the Widespread Spider Genus Zimiris (Araneae, Prodidomidae). American Museum Novitates 3450.
• Platnick, Norman I. & Baehr, Barbara C. (2006): A revision of the Australasian ground spiders of the family Prodidomidae (Araneae, Gnaphosoidea). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 298: 1-287. (with keys to subfamilies and genera, and picture)
• Platnick, Norman I. (2008): The world spider catalog, version 8.5. American Museum of Natural History.

External links[]

Wikispecies has information related to Prodidomidae.

• Picture of Molycria flavipes