Sphodros niger, the black purse-web spider, is a mygalomorph spider from the Eastern United States.[1] It is listed as a special concern species in Connecticut.[2]
| Sphodros niger | |
|---|---|
| |
| Sphodros niger, adult male | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Atypidae |
| Genus: | Sphodros |
| Species: | S. niger
|
| Binomial name | |
| Sphodros niger (Hentz, 1842)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Atypus niger | |
Description
editMales have a body length of about 11 mm, 29 mm with extended legs. The body is black, except for chocolate-brown legs.[1] Although the species was first described in 1842, females were first described in 1980.[3] This results from the male's behavior of wandering about in search of mates, while females, which reside in tubes, are rarely found.
Name
editThe species name niger is Latin for "black".
References
edit- ^ a b Fitch, Henry S. (1963): Spiders of The University of Kansas Natural History Reservation and Rockefeller Experimental Tract.
- ^ "Connecticut's Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species 2015". State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Natural Resources. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
- ^ Platnick, Norman I. (2009): The world spider catalog, version 9.5. American Museum of Natural History.
Further reading
edit
Wikispecies has information related to Sphodros niger.
- Gertsch, W.J. & Platnick, N.I. (1980). A revision of the American spiders of the family Atypidae (Araneae, Mygalomorphae). American Museum Novitates 2704. Abstract - PDF (12Mb)