Long-legged sac spider
Encyclopedia
The long-legged sac spiders (family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Miturgidae) include nearly 400 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 in about 30 genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 worldwide.

The largest genus currently recognized as belonging to this family is Cheiracanthium, which used to be placed in the family of "true" sac 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...

, Clubionidae. The placement of the primarily Old World
Old World
The Old World consists of those parts of the world known to classical antiquity and the European Middle Ages. It is used in the context of, and contrast with, the "New World" ....

 genus Cheiracanthium in the Miturgidae family is still being debated and may change. Only two species are known from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, one of which is obviously introduced. The genus is quite diverse in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

 and at least three or four species are known to occur in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

ian cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....

 fields alone. The family would be totally obscure if it were not for the fact that members of Cheiracanthium are documented beneficial predators in agricultural fields and are also known to be mildly venomous to humans. The yellow sac spider
Yellow sac spider
Cheiracanthium inclusum, alternately known as the black-footed yellow sac spider or the American yellow sac spider , was formerly classified as a true sac spider , but now belongs to the long-legged sac spiders...

, Cheiracanthium inclusum, has been studied more than the other species in regard to its role in controlling pest
Pest (animal)
A pest is an animal which is detrimental to humans or human concerns. It is a loosely defined term, often overlapping with the related terms vermin, weeds, parasites and pathogens...

 insects in the southeastern United States. Other genera include the more obscure southwestern US and Mexican Syspira, which superficially resembles a wolf spider (Family Lycosidae). The mostly tropical New World genus Teminius is noted for the thick velcro-like scopula on the undersides of the tarsi.

Genera

The categorization into subfamilies follows Raven (2009) with the exception of the Systariinae and Eutichurinae which were explicitly excluded by Raven (2009) and by Deeleman-Reinhold (2001).
  • Eutichurinae
  • Calamoneta Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 (Sumatra, Java)
  • Calamopus Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 (Thailand, Indonesia)
  • Cheiracanthium
    Cheiracanthium
    Cheiracanthium is a genus of spiders in the Miturgidae family. Certain species are commonly known as the "yellow sac spider".- Description :...

     C. L. Koch
    Carl Ludwig Koch
    Carl Ludwig Koch was a German entomologist and arachnologist. He was responsible for classifying a great number of spiders, including the Brazilian whiteknee tarantula and Common house spider. He was born in Kusel, Germany and died in Nuremberg, Germany.Carl Ludwig Koch was an inspector of water...

    , 1839 (Holarctic, Africa, Australia)
  • Cheiramiona Lotz & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 1999 (Africa)
  • Ericaella Bonaldo, 1994 (South America to Panama)
  • Eutichurus Simon, 1897 (South America to Costa Rica)
  • Helebiona Benoit, 1977 (St. Helena)
  • Macerio Simon, 1897 (Chile, Argentina)
  • Radulphius Keyserling
    Eugen von Keyserling
    Eugen von Keyserling was a German arachnologist.He was the author of Die Spinnen Amerikas, and completed Die Arachniden Australiens on behalf of Ludwig Carl Christian Koch.-External links:...

    , 1891 (Brazil, Guyana)
  • Summacanthium Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 (Sulawesi)
  • Tecution Benoit, 1977 (St. Helena)

  • Miturginae

  • Miturga Thorell, 1870 (Australia, New Guinea)
  • Prochora Simon, 1885 (Sicily, Israel)
  • Syrisca Simon, 1885 (Africa, South America)
  • Syspira Simon, 1895 (USA, Mexico)
  • Teminius Keyserling, 1887 (USA to Argentina)

  • Systariinae
  • Palicanus Thorell, 1897 (Southeast Asia)
  • Strotarchus Simon, 1888 (USA to Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil, Pakistan)
  • Systaria Simon, 1897 (Southeast Asia)
  • Tamin Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 (Borneo, Sulawesi)
  • Xantharia Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 (Borneo, Sumatra)

  • Diaprograptinae Raven, 2009
  • Diaprograpta Simon, 1909 (Australia)
  • Eupograpta Raven, 2009 (Australia)
  • Mituliodon Raven & Stumkat, 2003 (Timor, Australia)
  • Mitzoruga Raven, 2009 (Australia)
  • Nuliodon Raven, 2009 (Australia)
  • Zealoctenus Forster
    Raymond Robert Forster
    Raymond Robert Forster was a spider expert.He wrote his first paper on spiders at the age of 17. He studied at Victoria University...

     & Wilton, 1973 (New Zealand)

  • incertae sedis
    Incertae sedis
    , is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...

  • Pacificana Hogg, 1904 (New Zealand)
  • Parapostenus Lessert, 1923 (South Africa)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK