Palp-footed Spiders and Allies - Superfamily: Palpimanoidea
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The Palpimanoidea are a group of 5 families containing 300 species in 35 genera. Palpimonid spiders have a checkered distribution with most of the 300 species occurring in the southern hemisphere although fossil evidence suggest a more world-wide distribution in times gone by. The oldest known fossils of Palpimonid spiders date back to the Early Jurassic, some 183 Mya, with the Family: Archaeidae - to which the two Australian genera belong to - appearing some 20-odd million years later. In Europe, fossils of these spiders were known from Baltic amber since the 1840's -see Koch and Berendt, (1854) - and they were presumed extinct until 1881 when live specimens were found in Madagascar.
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In Australia only two genera in one family (Archaeidae) of the five listed in this superfamily is represented. This amounts to a total of forty endemic species - including two very recent discoveries - in Australia of which seven may be seen in the Northern Rivers. The Australian species of the Family: Archaeidae tend to have rather small local ranges and this may assist in the identifaction of individual spiders. The Archaeids are unusual spiders in that they appear to have a 'neck'. This neck raises part of the cephalothorax high up to accommodate the much enlarged chelicerae. This feature has earned them the name 'Pelican Spiders'. They are also known as Assassin Spiders because of their popensity to dine on smaller spiders which they actively hunt.
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Image 1. Illustration from Koch and Berendt (1854) showing fossil species from the genus Archaea.
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The long chelicerae protruding from the 'head' are terminated in rather small fangs. This allows them to remain at a distance from their prey, reducing the chance of getting bitten themselves. There have been suggestions that the chelicerae are used to 'spear' their prey but it is more likely that the chelicerae are used as traps. i.e. The two chelicerae are kept wide open until the prey ventures close enough to be caught as the chelicerae snap shut. These spiders are not often seen; they are rather small with their bodylength ranging from 2 - 8 mm, usually well camouflaged and their unusual shape is not commonly recognised by many.
Excellent photos of Archaeid spiders can be seen here: https://pbertner.wordpress.com/spider-assassins-archaeidae/ |
Family: Archaeidae
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Dorrigo Assassin Spider - Austrarchaea christopheri
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Austrarchaea clyneae
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Austrarchaea cunninghami
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Austrarchaea dianneae (possible occurrence)
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Gilbraltar Range Assassin Spider - Austrarchaea monteithi
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Austrarchaea nodosa
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Austrarchaea platnickorum
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Taxonomy:
Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
> Subphylum: Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
> Class: Arachnida (Arachnids)
> Order: Aranea (Spiders)
> Suborder: Araneomorphae (Typical Spiders)
> Infraorder: Entelegynea (Entelegyne Spiders)
> Superfamily: Palpimanoidea (Palp-footed Spiders and Allies)
> Family: Archaeidae (Pelican Spiders)
> Genus: Austrarchaea
> Species: A. christopheri - Dorrigo Assassin Spider
> Species: A. clyneae
> Species: A. cunninghami ^
> Species: A. dianneae ^
> Species: A. monteithi - Gibraltar Range Assassin Spider
> Species: A. nodosa
> Species: A. platnickorum ^
* = likely
^ = possibly
Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
> Subphylum: Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
> Class: Arachnida (Arachnids)
> Order: Aranea (Spiders)
> Suborder: Araneomorphae (Typical Spiders)
> Infraorder: Entelegynea (Entelegyne Spiders)
> Superfamily: Palpimanoidea (Palp-footed Spiders and Allies)
> Family: Archaeidae (Pelican Spiders)
> Genus: Austrarchaea
> Species: A. christopheri - Dorrigo Assassin Spider
> Species: A. clyneae
> Species: A. cunninghami ^
> Species: A. dianneae ^
> Species: A. monteithi - Gibraltar Range Assassin Spider
> Species: A. nodosa
> Species: A. platnickorum ^
* = likely
^ = possibly
References and links:
> Image 1. Illustration from Koch and Berendt (1854) showing fossil species from the genus Archaea.
> Carbuccia, B., Wood, H.M., Rollard, C., Nel, A. and Garrouste, R., (2020). 'A new Myrmecarchaea (Araneae: Archaeidae) species from Oise amber (earliest Eocene, France).' Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France 2020;; 191 (1): 24. doi: https://doi.org/10.1051/bsgf/2020023
> Koch, C.L. and Berendt, G.C., (1854). 'Die Im Bernstein befindlichen Crustaceen, Myriapoden, Arachniden und Apteren der Vorwelt.' Vol.I. Berlin. https://biostor.org/reference/153343
> Penney D., (2003). 'Afrarchaea grimaldii, a new species of Archaeidae (Araneae) in Cretaceous Burmese amber.' Journal of Arachnology 2003: unit 31: pp.122-130.
doi:10.1636/0161-8202(2003)031[0122:AGANSO]2.0.CO;2
> Rix M., Harvey M., (2011). 'Australian Assassins, Part I: A review of the Assassin Spiders (Araneae: Archaeidae) of mid-eastern Australia.' ZooKeys 123: 1-100. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.123.1448
> Rix, M.G. and Harvey, M.S., (2012). 'Australasian Assassins, Part II. A review of the new assassin spider genus Zephyrarchaea (Araneae: Archaeidae).' ZooKeys 19: 1-62
> Rix, M.G., Worthington Wilmer, .J., and Harvey, M.S., (2022). 'Rainforest pelican spiders (Archaeidae: Austrarchaea) of south-eastern Queensland, Australia: two new species and a distributional reassessment of regional endemic clades,' The Journal of Arachnology 50(2), 231-249. https://doi.org/10.1636/JoA-S-21-071
https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/ARCHAEIDAE
https://pbertner.wordpress.com/spider-assassins-archaeidae/
https://www.mindat.org/taxon-3397.html
https://www.mindat.org/taxon-P190413.html
> Image 1. Illustration from Koch and Berendt (1854) showing fossil species from the genus Archaea.
> Carbuccia, B., Wood, H.M., Rollard, C., Nel, A. and Garrouste, R., (2020). 'A new Myrmecarchaea (Araneae: Archaeidae) species from Oise amber (earliest Eocene, France).' Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France 2020;; 191 (1): 24. doi: https://doi.org/10.1051/bsgf/2020023
> Koch, C.L. and Berendt, G.C., (1854). 'Die Im Bernstein befindlichen Crustaceen, Myriapoden, Arachniden und Apteren der Vorwelt.' Vol.I. Berlin. https://biostor.org/reference/153343
> Penney D., (2003). 'Afrarchaea grimaldii, a new species of Archaeidae (Araneae) in Cretaceous Burmese amber.' Journal of Arachnology 2003: unit 31: pp.122-130.
doi:10.1636/0161-8202(2003)031[0122:AGANSO]2.0.CO;2
> Rix M., Harvey M., (2011). 'Australian Assassins, Part I: A review of the Assassin Spiders (Araneae: Archaeidae) of mid-eastern Australia.' ZooKeys 123: 1-100. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.123.1448
> Rix, M.G. and Harvey, M.S., (2012). 'Australasian Assassins, Part II. A review of the new assassin spider genus Zephyrarchaea (Araneae: Archaeidae).' ZooKeys 19: 1-62
> Rix, M.G., Worthington Wilmer, .J., and Harvey, M.S., (2022). 'Rainforest pelican spiders (Archaeidae: Austrarchaea) of south-eastern Queensland, Australia: two new species and a distributional reassessment of regional endemic clades,' The Journal of Arachnology 50(2), 231-249. https://doi.org/10.1636/JoA-S-21-071
https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/ARCHAEIDAE
https://pbertner.wordpress.com/spider-assassins-archaeidae/
https://www.mindat.org/taxon-3397.html
https://www.mindat.org/taxon-P190413.html
Photographic Contributions: