Titanoeca quadriguttata
Encyclopedia
Titanoeca quadriguttata is a species
of spider
in the family Titanoecidae. It is widespread in Europe
, though absent from Great Britain
, and is found in Austria
, Belgium
, Bulgaria
, Corsica
, Croatia
, Czech Republic
, France
, Germany
, Greece
, Hungary
, Italy
, Liechtenstein
, Moldova
, Russia
, Slovakia
, Spain
, Switzerland
, the Netherlands, Ukraine
.
The females of the species are approximately 6 mm long and have a dark brownish plain abdomen
and dark cephalothorax
. Males are about 4.5 mm and have a broad light reddish brown cephalothorax
and a slimmer black abdomen
with two pairs of shining white dots.
Though similar in general appearance to Titanoeca psammophila, it is larger and the epigyne
and male palpal
organs are distinctive, as is the palpal tibia, viewed from above and the male lacks the spots.
Like the rest of the genus, the spider has a calamistrum
on the metatarsus
of the fourth pair of legs, which comprises a single row of bristles and extends along most of its length.
The spiders are mature in spring; adults can be found from May to July in limestone areas of Germany.
It is often found amongst leaf litter or under logs and stones where the spiders have retreats and an open-meshed cribellate web extends around the opening. Males tug at the threads of females' webs prior to mating. The female remains with the egg sac in the retreat.
The male resembles superficially the male of Callilepis
schuszteri (Gnaphosidae), but the latter has protruding spinnerets and a silvery carapax.
,
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...
of 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...
in the family Titanoecidae. It is widespread 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...
, though absent from Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, and is found in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
, Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, the Netherlands, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
The females of the species are approximately 6 mm long and have a dark brownish plain abdomen
Abdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
and dark cephalothorax
Cephalothorax
The cephalothorax is a tagma of various arthropods, comprising the head and the thorax fused together, as distinct from the abdomen behind. The word cephalothorax is derived from the Greek words for head and thorax...
. Males are about 4.5 mm and have a broad light reddish brown cephalothorax
Cephalothorax
The cephalothorax is a tagma of various arthropods, comprising the head and the thorax fused together, as distinct from the abdomen behind. The word cephalothorax is derived from the Greek words for head and thorax...
and a slimmer black abdomen
Abdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
with two pairs of shining white dots.
Though similar in general appearance to Titanoeca psammophila, it is larger and the epigyne
Epigyne
The epigyne or epigynum is the external genital structure of female spiders. As the epigyne varies greatly in form in different species, even in closely related ones, it often provides the most distinctive characteristic for recognizing species...
and male palpal
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...
organs are distinctive, as is the palpal tibia, viewed from above and the male lacks the spots.
Like the rest of the genus, the spider has a calamistrum
Calamistrum
In spiders, the calamistrum is a row of specialized leg bristles used to comb out fine bands of silk. It is only found on cribellate spiders, that is, spiders that possess the spinning organ known as the cribellum. The calamistrum and cribellum are used to form the hackled bands of silk which are...
on the metatarsus
Metatarsus
The metatarsus or metatarsal bones are a group of five long bones in the foot located between the tarsal bones of the hind- and mid-foot and the phalanges of the toes. Lacking individual names, the metatarsal bones are numbered from the medial side : the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth...
of the fourth pair of legs, which comprises a single row of bristles and extends along most of its length.
The spiders are mature in spring; adults can be found from May to July in limestone areas of Germany.
It is often found amongst leaf litter or under logs and stones where the spiders have retreats and an open-meshed cribellate web extends around the opening. Males tug at the threads of females' webs prior to mating. The female remains with the egg sac in the retreat.
The male resembles superficially the male of Callilepis
Callilepis
Callilepis is a genus of gnaphosid spiders with about 20 described species. Some are found from Mexico to Canada, others from Europe to India...
schuszteri (Gnaphosidae), but the latter has protruding spinnerets and a silvery carapax.
Taxonomy
T. quadriguttata was originally described as Aranea obscura by Walckenaer in 1802. However, this proved to be preoccupied by Olivier, 1789 and Fabricius, 1793. Hahn described the species as Theridion 4-guttatum in 1833, from which the recent name is derived. There is another species, Goeldia obscuraGoeldia obscura
Goeldia obscura is a spider species from Colombia and Peru. It is not to be confused with Titanoeca quadriguttata from Europe; both shared the name Titanoeca obscura, but at different times. While G. obscura was never cited as T. obscura since its original description in 1878, T. quadriguttata was...
,
External links
- Frithjof Kohl: Picture of a female T. quadriguttata
- NaturePhoto-CZ: Picture of a male