Aname
Encyclopedia
The spider genus Aname is endemic
to Australia
, with one species (A. tasmanica) found only on Tasmania
. It contains the black wishbone spider, A. atra.
Spiders in this genus, together with the related and very similar genera Chenistonia and Namea, are called "wishbone
spiders", for the shape of their open silk
-lined burrow, which has the shape of the letter "Y", with one arm shorter than the other. Only the longer arm reaches the surface. The shorter arm is believed to allow the spider to survive flooding by trapping an air bubble.
While Aname prefers dry open country and occurs throughout much of Australia
(though mostly inland), Chenistonia occurs mostly in south and western Australia, and Namea is only known along the east coasts in rain forests.
The Lesser Wishbone Spider (A. distincta) occurs through lowland open forests of the Moreton Valley as far north as Eidsvold
and Gayndah
, the Greater Wishbone Spider A. pallida from Gladstone along the dry coastal corridors to Cairns.
Bites from Aname are rare, but females of A. inimica (also called "unfriendly" by aboriginals) are reported to have bitten several people, resulting in local pain, redness and soreness.
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, with one species (A. tasmanica) found only on Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. It contains the black wishbone spider, A. atra.
Spiders in this genus, together with the related and very similar genera Chenistonia and Namea, are called "wishbone
Wishbone
Wishbone may refer to:* The wishbone, a Y-shaped bone found in birds* Wishbone suspension, an automobile suspension design.* Wishbone , an children's educational television show...
spiders", for the shape of their open silk
Spider silk
Spider silk is a protein fiber spun by spiders. Spiders use their silk to make webs or other structures, which function as nets to catch other animals, or as nests or cocoons for protection for their offspring...
-lined burrow, which has the shape of the letter "Y", with one arm shorter than the other. Only the longer arm reaches the surface. The shorter arm is believed to allow the spider to survive flooding by trapping an air bubble.
While Aname prefers dry open country and occurs throughout much of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(though mostly inland), Chenistonia occurs mostly in south and western Australia, and Namea is only known along the east coasts in rain forests.
The Lesser Wishbone Spider (A. distincta) occurs through lowland open forests of the Moreton Valley as far north as Eidsvold
Eidsvold, Queensland
Eidsvold is a small town in the North Burnett region of Queensland, Australia. It is situated on the Burnett Highway approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The town is the self-proclaimed Beef Capital of the Burnett and is a hub for the regional cattle industry...
and Gayndah
Gayndah, Queensland
Gayndah is a town located on the Burnett River in Queensland, Australia. It is north of the state capital, Brisbane, and west of the regional city of Maryborough. The Burnett Highway passes through the town. At the 2006 census, Gayndah had a population of 1,745.-History:Exploration of the...
, the Greater Wishbone Spider A. pallida from Gladstone along the dry coastal corridors to Cairns.
Bites from Aname are rare, but females of A. inimica (also called "unfriendly" by aboriginals) are reported to have bitten several people, resulting in local pain, redness and soreness.
Species
- Aname armigera RainbowWilliam Joseph RainbowWilliam Joseph Rainbow was an entomologist and arachnologist whose work includes the first catalogue of Australian spiders.-Life:...
& Pulleine, 1918 — Western Australia - Aname atraAname atraThe black wishbone spider is a mygalomorph spider of South Australia.Wishbone spiders belong to one of three very similar genera: Aname, Chenistonia and Namea.-Name:...
(Strand, 1913) — South Australia - Aname aurea Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918 — New South Wales
- Aname barrema Raven, 1985 — Queensland
- Aname blackdownensis Raven, 1985 — Queensland
- Aname camara Raven, 1985 — Queensland
- Aname carina Raven, 1985 — Queensland
- Aname coenosa Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918 — South Australia
- Aname collinsorum Raven, 1985 — Queensland
- Aname comosa Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918 — South Australia
- Aname cuspidata (Main, 1954) — Western Australia
- Aname distincta (Rainbow, 1914) — Queensland
- Aname diversicolor (Hogg, 1902) — Queensland
- Aname earthwatchorum Raven, 1984 — Queensland
- Aname fuscocincta Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918 — Western Australia
- Aname grandis Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918 — South Australia
- Aname hirsuta Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918 — South Australia
- Aname humptydoo Raven, 1985 — Northern Territory
- Aname inimica Raven, 1985 — Queensland, New South Wales
- Aname kirrama Raven, 1984 — Queensland
- Aname longitheca Raven, 1985 — Queensland
- Aname maculata (Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918) — Western Australia
- Aname mainae Raven, 2000 — South Australia
- Aname pallida L. Koch, 1873 — Queensland
- Aname platypus (L. Koch, 1875) — Australia
- Aname robertsorum Raven, 1985 — Queensland
- Aname tasmanica Hogg, 1902 — Tasmania
- Aname tepperi (Hogg, 1902) — Southern Australia
- Aname tigrina Raven, 1985 — Queensland
- Aname tropica Raven, 1984 — Queensland
- Aname turrigera Main, 1994 — Western Australia, South Australia
- Aname villosa (Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918) — Western Australia
- Aname warialda Raven, 1985 — Queensland, New South Wales