Platythomisus

Taxobox
name = "Platythomisus"


image_caption =
image_width = 250px
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Arachnida
ordo = Araneae
subordo = Araneomorphae
familia = Thomisidae
subfamilia =
genus = "Platythomisus"
genus_authority = Doleschall, 1859
diversity_link = List of Thomisidae species#Platythomisus
diversity = 14 species
type_species = "Thomisus 8-maculatus"
type_species_authority = C. L. Koch, 1845
range_

range_map_width = 250px
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = See text.

"Platythomisus" is a genus of flattened crab spiders (family Thomisidae) from Africa and Southern Asia.

All species are only known from females or juveniles, with the exception of "P. jucundus", where only the male is known. [Platnick 2008]

Description

Females reach a body length of about 20 mm, males grow up to four mm. The smooth, convex cephalothorax is quite large, with smooth, slender legs that are not particularly long. The legs are often free of spines, with the occasional exception on the first two pairs. The opisthosoma is stout and oval.Murphy & Murphy 2000]

"P. octomaculatus" has a yellow-orange color with four round, black marks on the cephalothorax and seven large black marks on the opisthosoma, with one spot near the cephalothorax, and the other six following behing in two longitudinal rows. The legs are of a bright yellow, with the outer halves black.

Biology

"P. octomaculatus" is a rather rare species. One of the plants it has been found on is the yellow "Hibiscus tiliaceus". In captivity it was observed to feed on bees. [ [http://www.schlangenforum.ch/wbb2/thread.php?threadid=14188&sid=a3f7159c6167e349855396f0c3454572&threadview=0&hilight=&hilightuser=&page=5 Schlangenforum.ch] ]

Name

The genus name is combined from Ancient Greek "platys" "flat" and the crab spider "Thomisus".

pecies

* "Platythomisus bazarus" Tikader, 1970 — India
* "Platythomisus deserticola" Lawrence, 1936 — Southern Africa
* "Platythomisus heraldicus" Karsch, 1878 — East Africa, Zanzibar
* "Platythomisus insignis" Pocock, 1899 — Equatorial Guinea, Congo
* "Platythomisus jubbi" Lawrence, 1968 — South Africa
* "Platythomisus jucundus" Thorell, 1894 — Java
* "Platythomisus nigriceps" Pocock, 1899 — Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast
* "Platythomisus octomaculatus" (C. L. Koch, 1845) — Sumatra, Java
* "Platythomisus pantherinus" Pocock, 1898 — Malawi
* "Platythomisus quadrimaculatus" Hasselt, 1882 — Sumatra
* "Platythomisus scytodimorphus" (Karsch, 1886) — East Africa
* "Platythomisus sexmaculatus" Simon, 1897 — Somalia
* "Platythomisus sibayius" Lawrence, 1968 — South Africa
* "Platythomisus sudeepi" Biswas, 1977 — India

Footnotes

References

* (2000): An Introduction to the Spiders of South East Asia. "Malaysian Nature Society", Kuala Lumpur.
* (2008): [http://research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/catalog/index.html The world spider catalog] , version 8.5. "American Museum of Natural History".

External links

* [http://www.galerie-insecte.org/galerie/view.php?adr=.%2Fimage%2Fdos15%2Ftemp%2Faraignee_laos.jpgPicture of an adult "P. octomaculatus"]