Cicurina baronia

Cicurina baronia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Suborder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Dictynidae
Genus:	Cicurina
Species:	C. baronia
Binomial name
Cicurina baronia Gertsch, 1992

Cicurina baronia is a rare species of spider in the family Dictynidae known by the common name Robber Baron cave meshweaver. It is endemic to Texas in the United States, where it is known from only one cave in Bexar County.^[1] This is one of nine invertebrates endemic to the karst caves of Bexar County that were federally listed as endangered species in the year 2000.^[2]

This spider is known from Robber Baron Cave. The entrance to the cave is a protected area, but the land above the cave is urbanized. This cave is also the only home for the Cokendolpher Cave harvestman (Texella cokendolpheri), another rare arachnid.^[1]

The Bexar County karst cave invertebrates are troglobites, species that spend their entire lives in subterranean environments. The current status of the invertebrates is difficult to assess because their habitats are largely inaccessible and the animals themselves are small and cryptic. The threats to all nine species are the same: habitat loss when the caves are filled in or quarried, and habitat degradation via pollution, alterations in water flow, and direct human interference.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Cicurina baronia. The Nature Conservancy.
2. ^ USFWS. Draft Bexar County Karst Invertebrates Recovery Plan. Federal Register May 16, 2008.