Archaeidae
Encyclopedia
The Archaeidae are a spider
family with 25 described species in three genera.
Their common name pelican spider stems from their specialised anatomy: they have evolved elongated jaws and necks for catching other spiders.
, Madagascar
and Australia
. The Archaea are a Gondwana
group.
s of the families Archaeidae and Mecysmaucheniidae
, which are extremely unusual in that they have "necks," which can be very long and slender or short and fat. Archaeids prey only upon other spiders, while mecysmaucheniids seem to be generalists. Assassin spiders were first known from 40 million year old amber
fossils, which were found in Europe
in the 1840s, and were not known to have living varieties until 1881, when the first living assassin spider was found in Madagascar. They are native to Australia
and South Africa
and Madagascar
, with the sister family Mecysmaucheniidae occurring in Southern South America and New Zealand. They range in size from 8 mm to 2 mm.
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
family with 25 described species in three genera.
Their common name pelican spider stems from their specialised anatomy: they have evolved elongated jaws and necks for catching other spiders.
Distribution
Archaeidae occur in South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
and 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...
. The Archaea are a Gondwana
Gondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
group.
Assassin spiders
Assassin spiders, also known as the Spidsnuck, are a group of spiderSpider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s of the families Archaeidae and Mecysmaucheniidae
Mecysmaucheniidae
The Mecysmaucheniidae are a spider family with 25 described species in seven genera.-Distribution:Most genera only occur in South America , with two genera endemic to New Zealand.-Species:...
, which are extremely unusual in that they have "necks," which can be very long and slender or short and fat. Archaeids prey only upon other spiders, while mecysmaucheniids seem to be generalists. Assassin spiders were first known from 40 million year old amber
Amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin , which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Amber is used as an ingredient in perfumes, as a healing agent in folk medicine, and as jewelry. There are five classes of amber, defined on the basis of their chemical constituents...
fossils, which were found in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in the 1840s, and were not known to have living varieties until 1881, when the first living assassin spider was found in Madagascar. They are native 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...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
and Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
, with the sister family Mecysmaucheniidae occurring in Southern South America and New Zealand. They range in size from 8 mm to 2 mm.
Species
- Archaeinae
- Afrarchaea Forster & Platnick, 1984
-
-
- Afrarchaea bergae Lotz, 1996 — South Africa
- Afrarchaea entabeniensis Lotz, 2003 — South Africa
- Afrarchaea fernkloofensis Lotz, 1996 — South Africa
- Afrarchaea fisheri Lotz, 2003 — Madagascar
- Afrarchaea godfreyi (Hewitt, 1919) — South Africa, Madagascar
- Afrarchaea haddadi Lotz, 2006 — South Africa
- Afrarchaea harveyi Lotz, 2003 — South Africa
- Afrarchaea kranskopensis Lotz, 1996 — South Africa
- Afrarchaea lawrencei Lotz, 1996 — South Africa
- Afrarchaea mahariraensis Lotz, 2003 — Madagascar
- Afrarchaea ngomensis Lotz, 1996 — South Africa
- Afrarchaea royalensis Lotz, 2006 — South Africa
- Afrarchaea woodae Lotz, 2006 — South Africa
-
- Austrarchaea Forster & Platnick, 1984
-
-
- Austrarchaea daviesae Forster & Platnick, 1984 — Queensland
- Austrarchaea hickmani (Butler, 1929) — Victoria
- Austrarchaea mainae Platnick, 1991 — Western Australia
- Austrarchaea nodosa (Forster, 1956) — Queensland
- Austrarchaea robinsi Harvey, 2002 — Western Australia
-
- EriaucheniusEriaucheniusEriauchenius is a genus of assassin spiders that occurs almost exclusively on Madagascar.About ten species have been discovered as of 2006.-Species:* Eriauchenius bourgini...
O. P.-Cambridge, 1881
-
-
- Eriauchenius bourgini (Millot, 1948) — Madagascar
- Eriauchenius cornutus (Lotz, 2003) — South Africa
- Eriauchenius gracilicollisEriauchenius gracilicollisEriauchenius gracilicollis is an assassin spider. It is merely 2mm long and catches other spiders with venomous fangs at the end of its hugely elongated jaws .These animals normally run upside down.-External links:* *...
(Millot, 1948) — Madagascar - Eriauchenius jeanneli (Millot, 1948) — Madagascar
- Eriauchenius legendrei (Platnick, 1991) — Madagascar
- Eriauchenius pauliani (Legendre, 1970) — Madagascar
- Eriauchenius ratsirarsoni (Lotz, 2003) — Madagascar
- Eriauchenius tsingyensis (Lotz, 2003) — Madagascar
- Eriauchenius vadoni (Millot, 1948) — Madagascar
- Eriauchenius workmani O. P.-Cambridge, 1881 — Madagascar
-
- Jurarchaeinae Eskov, 1987 † (fossil)
- Jurarchaea Eskov, 1987 †
-
-
- Jurarchaea zherikhini Eskov, 1987 †
-
External links
- "Tiny Assassins" at California Academy of Sciences
- National Geographic Photo in the News: Bizarre Assassin Spiders Discovered in Madagascar
- Eriauchenius lavatenda page at California Academy of Sciences
- Eriauchenius vadoni page at California Academy of Sciences
- Assassin Spiders: Archaeidae and Mecysmaucheniidae