Sheetweb Spiders - Family: Stiphidiidae
|
A smallish family of mostly medium-sized (and a handful of large to very large) spiders that are endemic to Australia and New Zealand nearly exclusively - the four species of the Genus: Asmea are found in New Guinea only. Of the 125 species in 20 genera, about 15 in 5 may be seen in the Northern Rivers. Overall, in Australia their range is limited between just north of Brisbane, south to Melbourne and than west towards Naracoorte in South Australia. These spiders get their name from the large sheet-like webs they construct underneath rocks.
Originally named as a subfamily of the Psechridae by Raymond Comte de Dalmas, a French naturalist, in 1917. It was elevated to family status by Forster and Wilton (1973). Most of the genera in this family are fairly recent additions. Eight of them by Gray & Smith since 2000. |
Mostly a mottled brown in colour although some are predominatly a blotched black. The legs on many Australian species show a distinct pattern on the long legs created by alternating dark and light bands. As with many other spiders, separating the species from one another based on observed differences is quite difficult. What is helpful is the fact that many species tend to be localised in their distribution.
There are also similarities between species of this family and those of the Agelenidae and the Amaurobiidae and sometimes it is only the structure of the web that sets the individual species apart. Overall the Stiphidiids are a group of spiders that are poorly diagnosed and described with a lot more work required to complete our understanding of their phylogenetic relationships. |
|
Borrala dorrigo
|
|
Borrala longipalpis
|
|
Borrala yabbra
|
|
Couranga diehappy
|
|
Couranga kioloa
|
|
Procambridgea lamington
|
|
Procambridgea montana
|
|
Procambridgea monteithi
|
|
Stiphidion adornatum
|
|
Sombrero Spider - Stiphidion facetum
|
|
Stiphidion raveni
|
|
Therlinya ballata
|
|
Therlinya bellinger
|
|
Therlinya kiah
|
|
Therlinya wiangaree
|
Taxonomy:
Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
> Subphylum: Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
> Class: Arachnida (Arachnids)
> Order: Aranea (Spiders)
> Suborder: Araneomorphae (Typical Spiders)
> Infraorder: Entelegynea (Entelegyne Spiders)
> Superfamily: Lycosoidea (Wolf Spiders and Allies)
> Family: Stiphidiidae (Sheetweb Spiders)
> Genus: Borrala
> Species: B. dorrigo
> Species: B. longipalpis
> Species: B. yabbra
> Genus: Couranga
> Species: C. diehappy
> Species: C. kioloa
> Genus: Procambridgea
> Species: P. lamington
> Species: P. montana
> Species: P. monteithi
> Genus: Stiphidion (Sombrero Spiders)
> Species: S. adornatum
> Species: S. facetum - Sombrero Spider
> Species: S. raveni
> Genus: Therlinya
> Species: T. ballata
> Species: T. bellinger
> Species: T. kiah
> Species: T. wiangaree
* = likely
^ = possibly
References and links:
> Dalmas, R. de (1917). 'Araignées de Nouvelle-Zélande.' Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 86: 317-430.
> Davies, V.E. and Lambkin, C., (2001). 'A revision of Procambridgea Forster & Wilton, (Araneae: Amaurobioidea: Stiphidiidae).' Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 46(2):
443-459. Brisbane. ISSN 0079-8835.
> Forster, R.R. and Wilton, C.L., (1973). 'The spiders of New Zealand. Part IV.' Otago Museum Bulletin 4: 1-309.
> Gray, M., (2002). 'Therlinya , a new genus of spiders from eastern Australia (Araneae: Amaurobioidea).' Records of The Australian Museum - REC AUST MUS. 54. 293-312. 10.3853/j.0067-1975.54.2002.1368.
> Gray, M.R. and Smith, H.M., (2004). 'The "striped" group of stiphidiid spiders: two new genera from northeastern New South Wales, Australia (Araneae: Stiphidiidae: Amaurobioidea).' Records of the Australian Museum 56: 123-138.
> Gray, M.R. and Smith, H.M., (2008). 'A new subfamily of spiders with grate-shaped tapeta from Australia and Papua New Guinea (Araneae: Stiphidiidae: Borralinae).' Records of the Australian Museum 60: 13-44.
https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/Stiphidiidae
> Dalmas, R. de (1917). 'Araignées de Nouvelle-Zélande.' Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 86: 317-430.
> Davies, V.E. and Lambkin, C., (2001). 'A revision of Procambridgea Forster & Wilton, (Araneae: Amaurobioidea: Stiphidiidae).' Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 46(2):
443-459. Brisbane. ISSN 0079-8835.
> Forster, R.R. and Wilton, C.L., (1973). 'The spiders of New Zealand. Part IV.' Otago Museum Bulletin 4: 1-309.
> Gray, M., (2002). 'Therlinya , a new genus of spiders from eastern Australia (Araneae: Amaurobioidea).' Records of The Australian Museum - REC AUST MUS. 54. 293-312. 10.3853/j.0067-1975.54.2002.1368.
> Gray, M.R. and Smith, H.M., (2004). 'The "striped" group of stiphidiid spiders: two new genera from northeastern New South Wales, Australia (Araneae: Stiphidiidae: Amaurobioidea).' Records of the Australian Museum 56: 123-138.
> Gray, M.R. and Smith, H.M., (2008). 'A new subfamily of spiders with grate-shaped tapeta from Australia and Papua New Guinea (Araneae: Stiphidiidae: Borralinae).' Records of the Australian Museum 60: 13-44.
https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/Stiphidiidae
Photographic Contributions: