Paraplectanids - Family: Paraplectanoididae
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A small family of two species in one genus, of which only one species may be seen in the Northern Rivers. The two species in this family are quite similar in looks with P. kochi (from the northern parts of Queensland) being a very squat kind of shape with a domed abdomen so large that the cephalothorax and the legs only just protrude from underneath it. This particular spider is only rarely encountered and as a consequence little is known about it.
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P. crassipes is a very robust looking spider of about 12-13 mm in length with strong legs of about 10-14 mm in length. The mature female of the species has appearance not as squat as P. kochi and it is generally a bit larger. As with many araneoid spiders there is strong sexual dimorphism. Not only are the males considerably smaller at a body length of about 2-2.5 mm, their abdomen somewhat triangular when viewed from above, rather than round.
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Records of P. crassipes are scant but its range appears to stretch from the mid-Queensland coast southwards and than west to Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia and Tasmania. There are no records yet from the Northern Rivers but it is likely that a sighting of the species is just a matter of time.
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Fat-legged Paraplectinoides - Paraplectinoides crassipes (likely occurrence)
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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: Araneoidea (Araneoid Spiders)
> Family: Paraplectanoididae
> Genus: Paraplectanoides
> Species: P. crassipes - Fat-legged Paraplectanoides *
* = likely
References and links:
> Davies, V.T., (1988). 'An illustrated guide to the genera of orb-weaving spiders in Australia.' Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 25: 273-332.
> Kuntner, M., Čandek, K., Gregorič, M., T urk, E., Hamilton, C.A., Chamberland, L., Starrett, J., Cheng, R.C., Coddington, J.A., Agnarsson, I. and Bond, J.E, . (2023). 'Increasing information content and diagnosability in family-level classifications.' Systematic Biology 72(4): 964-971. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syad021
> Pickard-Cambridge, O., (1877). 'On some new genera and species of Araneidea.' Annals and Magazine of Natural History (4) 19(109): 26-39, pl. 6-7. doi:10.1080/00222937708682093
> Davies, V.T., (1988). 'An illustrated guide to the genera of orb-weaving spiders in Australia.' Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 25: 273-332.
> Kuntner, M., Čandek, K., Gregorič, M., T urk, E., Hamilton, C.A., Chamberland, L., Starrett, J., Cheng, R.C., Coddington, J.A., Agnarsson, I. and Bond, J.E, . (2023). 'Increasing information content and diagnosability in family-level classifications.' Systematic Biology 72(4): 964-971. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syad021
> Pickard-Cambridge, O., (1877). 'On some new genera and species of Araneidea.' Annals and Magazine of Natural History (4) 19(109): 26-39, pl. 6-7. doi:10.1080/00222937708682093
Photographic contributions: