Uloboridae

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Cribellate orb-weavers
Temporal range: Tithonian–present
Uloborus plumipes
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Uloboridae
Thorell, 1869
Diversity
19 genera, 337 species

Uloboridae is a

venomous spiders, known as cribellate orb weavers or hackled orb weavers. Their lack of venom glands is a secondarily evolved trait. Instead, they wrap their prey thoroughly in silk, cover it in regurgitated digestive enzymes, and then ingest the liquified body.[1]

Description

They are medium to large spiders, with three claws, which lack venomous glands. They build a spiral web using

cribellate silk, which is quite fuzzy. They are usually dull in color, and are able to camouflage well into their surroundings. They typically have a humped opisthosoma, which is notoriously more humped than the carapace. Their rear eyes tend to curve, more so in some species than others.[2]

Hunting

The hunting method of these

digestive fluid. Oddly enough, their mouthparts never touch the prey. The spider starts ingesting as soon as the prey has been covered. It is thought that robust hairs protect the spider from the digestive fluids.[5]
It is unknown how this behavior first evolved.

Social behavior

Some species are able to form colonies[2] like Philoponella republicana, which make large, messy, communal webs. Colonies may range from a couple of individuals to a couple hundred. These colonies may be nymph dominated or adult dominated, though a small colony dominated by adults could be a sign of the colony's slow death. These colonies show signs of being female dominated, as one would expect, with males only being found in larger colonies. This could mean males search for larger colonies, or had died out in the smaller colonies.[6]

Distribution

This family has an almost worldwide distribution. Only two species are known from Northern Europe: Uloborus walckenaerius and Hyptiotes paradoxus. Similarly occurring solely in northern North America (e.g. southern Ontario) is Uloborus glomosus. The oldest known fossil species is Talbragaraneus from the Late Jurassic (Tithonian) Talbragar Fossil Bed of Australia.[7]

Genera

Main article: List of Uloboridae species

As of May 2024, the World Spider Catalog accepts the following genera:[8]

  • Ariston O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896 – Mexico, Panama
  • Astavakra Lehtinen, 1967 – Philippines
  • Conifaber Opell, 1982 – Paraguay, Argentina, Colombia
  • Daramulunia Lehtinen, 1967 – Samoa, Vanuatu, Fiji
  • Hyptiotes Walckenaer, 1837 – Asia, South Africa, North America, Europe
  • Lehtineniana Sherwood, 2022 – Caroline Is., Cook Is., Vanuatu, New Caledonia, French Polynesia (Marquesas Is., Society Is., Austral Is.)
  • Lubinella Opell, 1984 – Papua New Guinea
  • Miagrammopes O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1870 – South America, Central America, Asia, Oceania, Africa, Caribbean, North America
  • Octonoba Opell, 1979 – Asia, United States
  • Orinomana Strand, 1934 – South America
  • Philoponella Mello-Leitão, 1917 – Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia, Central America
  • Polenecia Lehtinen, 1967 – Azerbaijan
  • Purumitra Lehtinen, 1967 – Australia, Philippines
  • Siratoba Opell, 1979 – United States, Mexico
  • Sybota Simon, 1892 – Chile, Argentina
  • Uaitemuri Santos & Gonzaga, 2017 – Brazil
  • Uloborus Latreille, 1806 – Asia, Oceania, South America, Africa, North America, Costa Rica, Europe
  • Waitkera Opell, 1979 – New Zealand
  • Zosis Walckenaer, 1841 – South America, Seychelles, Asia, Oceania, Cuba

See also

References

  1. ^ "Staff Scientists" (PDF).
  2. ^ a b "Hackled orb-weavers". The Australian Museum. 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-26.
  3. doi:10.1046/j.1095-8312.2002.00099.x
    .
  4. S2CID 253876504
    .
  5. hdl:10669/79093
    .
  6. ISSN 1029-3299
    .
  7. S2CID 55113970
    .
  8. ^ "Family: Uloboridae Thorell, 1869". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2019-04-26.

External links

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