Psechridae

Taxobox
name = Psechridae


image_width = 250px
image_caption =
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Arachnida
ordo = Araneae
subordo = Araneomorphae
infraordo = Entelegynae
superfamilia = Lycosoidea
familia = Psechridae
familia_authority = Simon, 1890
diversity_link = List of Psechridae species
diversity = 2 genera, 24 species
range_

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subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = see text

The Psechridae are a family of spiders with about two dozen species in two orders.

They construct cribellate webs and are related to the Lycosidae. With body lengths of up to 2 cm and funnel webs more than 1 m in diameter, they are the biggest cribellate spiders. "Psechrus" species have been found in altitudes up to 2300 m in Taiwan. Female "Psechrus" carry their egg-sac in the chelicerae, similar to the ecribellate Pisauridae, with which they are closely related. They feature several characteristics normally found in ecribellate spiders, for example brood care behavior, and a colulus with no apparent function (Fang "et al." 2000).

Habits

These cave dwelling spiders construct horizontal webs on the cave's ceiling and move below it. They have greatly elongated legs, with the last element being very flexible.

Distribution

They occur around the Pacific, for example in China, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand.

Genera

* "Eomatachia" Petrunkevitch, 1942 † (fossil, oligocene):* "Eomatachia latifrons" Petrunkevitch, 1942 † (baltic amber)

* "Fecenia" Simon, 1887:* "Fecenia cylindrata" Thorell, 1895 — China, Myanmar:* "Fecenia macilenta" (Simon, 1885) — Malaysia:* "Fecenia nicobarensis" (Tikader, 1977) — Nicobar Islands:* "Fecenia ochracea" (Doleschall, 1859) — Philippines to Queensland:* "Fecenia travancoria" Pocock, 1899 — India to Sumatra

* "Psechrus" Thorell, 1878:* "Psechrus argentatus" (Doleschall, 1859) — Malaysia to Queensland:* "Psechrus borneo" Levi, 1982 — Borneo:* "Psechrus cebu" Murphy, 1986 — Philippines:* "Psechrus ghecuanus" Thorell, 1897 — India, Myanmar, Thailand, China:* "Psechrus himalayanus" Simon, 1906 — India, Nepal:* "Psechrus jinggangensis" Wang & Yin, 2001 — China:* "Psechrus khammouan" Jäger, 2007 — Laos:* "Psechrus kinabalu" Levi, 1982 — Borneo:* "Psechrus kunmingensis" Yin, Wang & Zhang, 1985 — China:* "Psechrus luangprabang" Jäger, 2007 — Laos:* "Psechrus marsyandi" Levi, 1982 — Nepal:* "Psechrus mulu" Levi, 1982 — Borneo:* "Psechrus rani" Wang & Yin, 2001 — China:* "Psechrus senoculatus" Yin, Wang & Zhang, 1985 — China:* "Psechrus sinensis" Berland & Berland, 1914 — China:* "Psechrus singaporensis" Thorell, 1894 — China, Malaysia, Java, Sumatra:* "Psechrus taiwanensis" Wang & Yin, 2001 — Taiwan:* "Psechrus tingpingensis" Yin, Wang & Zhang, 1985 — China, Vietnam:* "Psechrus torvus" (O. P.-Cambridge, 1869) — Sri Lanka, India, China, Taiwan:* "Psechrus triangulus" Yang et al., 2003 — China:* "Psechrus xinping" Chen et al., 2002 — China

ee also

* List of Psechridae species
* Spider families

References

* Fang, K., Yang, C.-C., Lue, B.-W., Chen, S.H., Lue, K.-Y. (2000) Phylogenetic Corroboration of Superfamily Lycosoidae Spiders (Araneae) as Inferred from Partial Mitochondrial 12S and 16S Ribosomal DNA Sequences. "Zoological Studies 39(2): 107-113. [http://zoolstud.sinica.edu.tw/Journals/39.2/107-113.pdf PDF]
* Wang, X.P. & Yin, C.M. (2001). A review of the Chinese Psechridae (Araneae). "J. Arachnol." 29: 330-344. [http://www.americanarachnology.org/JoA_free/JoA_v29_n3/arac_29_03_330.pdf PDF]
*Willis J. Gertsch: "American Spiders, 2nd edition.", Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York 1979. ISBN 0-442-22649-7
* (2008): [http://research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/catalog/index.html The world spider catalog] , version 8.5. "American Museum of Natural History".

Further reading

* Levi, H.W. (1982). The spider genera "Psechrus" and "Fecenia" (Araneae, Psechridae). "Pacific Insects" 24: 114-138. - revision of the family