Myrmekiaphila
Encyclopedia
Myrmekiaphila is a genus
of trapdoor spider
s in the family Cyrtaucheniidae. All described species
are endemic to the southeastern USA. The genus was transferred from the Ctenizidae by Raven
in 1985. M. flavipes was transferred from genus Aptostichus
in 2007.
is 2.8 to 8 mm long and 2.25 to 6.81 mm wide. Females are uniformly colored, with some dusky stripes on the dorsum of the abdomen. Colors range from yellowish red to dark reddish brown. The palpal tibia of the males are modified in a way that distinguishes them from other mygalomorph
spiders of North America
. The first legs in males are modified as mating claspers.
also build side chambers, they do not close them with trap doors.
along the Appalachian Mountains
southward through West Virginia
, Kentucky
, North
and South Carolina
, Tennessee
and northern Georgia
into the Southeastern Plain of Alabama
, Mississippi
and Florida
.
They are found in a wide variety of habitat
s, including temperate deciduous forest in relatively high altitudes and dry climates in central Texas
.
s, and found Myrmekiaphila always in close proximity to ant nests. Hence he gave the genus this name, derived from Ancient Greek
myrmex "ant" and philein "to love", with the meaning "fond of ant nests".
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...
of trapdoor spider
Trapdoor spider
Trapdoor spiders are medium-sized mygalomorph spiders that construct burrows with a cork-like trapdoor made of soil, vegetation and silk. Some similar species are also called trapdoor spiders, such as the Liphistiidae, Barychelidae, Cyrtaucheniidae and some Idiopidae and Nemesiidae...
s in the family Cyrtaucheniidae. All described 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...
are endemic to the southeastern USA. The genus was transferred from the Ctenizidae by Raven
Robert Raven
Robert John Raven is an Australian arachnologist, being the Head of Terrestrial Biodiversity and the Senior Curator at the Queensland Museum....
in 1985. M. flavipes was transferred from genus Aptostichus
Aptostichus
Aptostichus is a genus of wafer trapdoor spiders found predominantly in southern California, USA.-Species:Many Aptostichus species remain to be described....
in 2007.
Description
The known species of this genus resemble each other in appearance and behavior. The carapaceCarapace
A carapace is a dorsal section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the underside is called the plastron.-Crustaceans:In crustaceans, the...
is 2.8 to 8 mm long and 2.25 to 6.81 mm wide. Females are uniformly colored, with some dusky stripes on the dorsum of the abdomen. Colors range from yellowish red to dark reddish brown. The palpal tibia of the males are modified in a way that distinguishes them from other mygalomorph
Mygalomorphae
The Mygalomorphae, , are an infraorder of spiders. The latter name comes from the orientation of the fangs which point straight down and do not cross each other .-Description:...
spiders of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The first legs in males are modified as mating claspers.
Biology
All members live in subterranean, silk-lined burrows that are covered by a silken-soil trap door. Some species construct side chambers that can be closed off by secondary trap doors, a feature that is unique among Cyrtaucheniidae. While the related Promyrmekiaphila and AptostichusAptostichus
Aptostichus is a genus of wafer trapdoor spiders found predominantly in southern California, USA.-Species:Many Aptostichus species remain to be described....
also build side chambers, they do not close them with trap doors.
Distribution
The genus is endemic to the southeastern United States, where it ranges from northern VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
along the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
southward through West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, North
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and northern Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
into the Southeastern Plain of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
They are found in a wide variety of habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
s, including temperate deciduous forest in relatively high altitudes and dry climates in central Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Systematics
While Myrmekiaphila is now placed in the monophyletic subfamily Euctenizinae of Cyrtaucheniidae, it is likely that the Euctenizinae will be placed in a different family in the near future. Myrmekiaphila appears as the sister group to all southwestern Euctenizidae with the exception of Apomastus, which in turn is the sister group to all euctenizines.Name
Genus describer Atkinson collected his specimens while hunting for antAnt
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
s, and found Myrmekiaphila always in close proximity to ant nests. Hence he gave the genus this name, derived from Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
myrmex "ant" and philein "to love", with the meaning "fond of ant nests".
Species
Three species groups are currently recognized. These are only intended to facilitate identification based on the male palp; it is not known if they represent monophyletic taxa. M. flavipes is only known from females and thus not grouped.- foliata group
- Myrmekiaphila comstocki Bishop & Crosby, 1926
- Myrmekiaphila coreyi Bond & PlatnickNorman I. PlatnickNorman I. Platnick is an American arachnologist, and the Peter J. Solomon Family Curator of the invertebrate zoology department of the American Museum of Natural History. A 1973 Ph.D...
, 2007 - Myrmekiaphila foliata Atkinson, 1886
- fluviatilis group
- Myrmekiaphila fluviatilis (HentzNicholas Marcellus HentzNicholas Marcellus Hentz was a French American arachnologist. Hentz was born in Versailles, France. He immigrated to the United States in 1816 and became a pioneering zoologist in the field of arachnology....
, 1850) - Myrmekiaphila howelli Bond & Platnick, 2007
- Myrmekiaphila jenkinsi Bond & Platnick, 2007
- Myrmekiaphila millerae Bond & Platnick, 2007
- Myrmekiaphila neilyoungiMyrmekiaphila neilyoungiMyrmekiaphila neilyoungi is a species of trapdoor spider, described in 2007 by East Carolina University professor of biology Jason E. Bond and Norman I. Platnick, curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York...
Bond & Platnick, 2007 - Myrmekiaphila torreya Gertsch & Wallace, 1936
- minuta group
- Myrmekiaphila minuta Bond & Platnick, 2007
- unplaced species
- Myrmekiaphila flavipes (PetrunkevitchAlexander PetrunkevitchAlexander Ivanovitch Petrunkevitch was an eminent arachnologist of his time. From 1910 to 1939 he described over 130 spider species.-Biography:...
, 1925)