Draculoides is a genus of troglobite

Troglobite

Troglobites are small cave-dwelling animals that have adapted to their dark surroundings. Troglobite species include spiders, insects, fish and others. They live permanently underground and cannot survive outside the cave environment. Troglobite adaptations and characteristics include a heightened...

 arachnid

Arachnid

Arachnids are a class of joint-legged invertebrate animals in the subphylum Chelicerata. All arachnids have eight legs, although in some species the front pair may convert to a sensory function. The term is derived from the Greek words , meaning "spider".Almost all extant arachnids are terrestrial...

 endemic to North West Australia

North West Australia

The terms North West Australia, The North West and North Western Australia have been used as a regular label for the region of the North of Western Australia and the West of the Northern Territory.- Early 20th century gold rush:...

. Often mistaken for a spider

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...

, D. bramstokeri is a schizomid

Schizomid

Schizomida is an order of arachnids, superficially resembling spiders and generally less than in length....

 — a small, soil-dwelling invertebrate

Invertebrate

An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...

 that walks on six legs and uses two modified front legs as feelers. It uses large fang-like pedipalp

Pedipalp

Pedipalps , are the second pair of appendages of the prosoma in the subphylum Chelicerata. They are traditionally thought to be homologous with mandibles in Crustacea and insects, although more recent studies Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi), are the second pair of appendages of the...

s, or pincers, to grasp invertebrate prey and crunch it into pieces before sucking out the juices.

The genus was first described in 1992 by M.S. Harvey of the Western Australian Museum

Western Australian Museum

The Western Australian Museum is the state museum for Western Australia.The Western Australian Museum has seven main sites: two in Perth within the Perth Cultural Centre, two in Fremantle , and one each in Albany, Geraldton, and Kalgoorlie-Boulder...

, based on his earlier description of Schizomus vinei (Draculoides vinei).

A second species was described 1995, Draculoides bramstokeri, based on specimens found at Barrow Island

Barrow Island (Western Australia)

Barrow Island is a island located northwest off the coast of Western Australia. The island is the second largest in Western Australia after Dirk Hartog Island.-Discovery and early history:...

, Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

; the specific epithet honours Bram Stoker

Bram Stoker

Abraham "Bram" Stoker was an Irish novelist and short story writer, best known today for his 1897 Gothic novel Dracula...

, the author of Dracula

Dracula

Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker.Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to relocate from Transylvania to England, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor...

. The allusion to this fictional character, a vampire

Vampire

Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...

, in the name of the genus is given for the method of consuming its prey.

The following is a list of species:

• Draculoides Harvey, 1992
  • Draculoides bramstokeri
    Draculoides bramstokeri
    Draculoides bramstokeri is a small, troglobite, Australian arachnid. Often mistaken for a spider, D. bramstokeri is a schizomid — a small, soil-dwelling invertebrate that walks on six legs and uses two modified front legs as feelers. It uses large fang-like pedipalps, or pincers, to grasp...
    
    Harvey & Humphreys, 1995
  • Draculoides brooksi Harvey, 2001
  • Draculoides julianneae Harvey, 2001
  • Draculoides mesozeirus Harvey, Berry, Edward & Humphreys, 2008
  • Draculoides neoanthropus Harvey, Berry, Edward & Humphreys, 2008
  • Draculoides vinei (Harvey, 1988)