Polybetes is a genus of South American huntsman spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1897.[3] It is a senior synonym of Leptosparassus and Streptaedoea.[2]

Polybetes
Polybetes rapidus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Sparassidae
Genus: Polybetes
Simon, 1897[1]
Type species
P. martius
(Nicolet, 1849)
Species

15, see text

Synonyms[1]
  • Leptosparassus Järvi, 1914[2]
  • Streptaedoea Järvi, 1914[2]

They are commonly found in tall grass and on the bark or branches of trees. At least two species have adapted to urban environments and have been found indoors. They are large and somewhat aggressive spiders, but their venom is not toxic enough to be dangerous to humans.[4]

Species

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As of March 2022 it contains fifteen species, all endemic to South America:[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Gloor, Daniel; Nentwig, Wolfgang; Blick, Theo; Kropf, Christian (2019). "Gen. Polybetes Simon, 1897". World Spider Catalog Version 20.0. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  2. ^ a b c Gerschman de P., B. S.; Schiapelli, R. D. (1965). "El género Polybetes Simon, 1897, en la Argentina (Araneae-Sparassidae)". Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia. 1: 314.
  3. ^ Simon, E (1897). Histoire naturelle des araignées. Paris: Roret. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.51973.
  4. ^ Rodríguez-Gil, Sergio Gustavo; Merani, María Susana; Scioscia, Cristina Luisa & Mola, Liliana María (2007). "Cytogenetics in Three Species of Polybetes Simon 1897 from Argentina (Araneae, Sparassidae) I. Karyotype and Chromosome Banding Pattern". The Journal of Arachnology. 35 (2): 227–237. doi:10.1636/S05-69.1. JSTOR 25067834. S2CID 86573497.