Tree Sheetweb Spiders - Family: Cyatholipidae
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Tree Sheetweb Spiders or Cyatholipid Spiders are a small family of 58 species in 23 genera most of which occur in Africa only. There are however a handful of genera that may be found in Australia and/or New Zealand. As their name suggests most of these spiders create sheetwebs in trees and bushes. Once the web is done, the spider will than suspend itself underneath it.
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Many of the Cyatholipids are quite small with bodylengths ranging from 1 to 6 mm. Their small size does not make species easily identifiable. The Family: Cyatholipidae was erected in 1894 by the French naturalist, Eugene Simon. Most of the current species in this family have only been recently discovered or described.
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These spiders have been identified from fossils about 35 My old as well as from entrapments in amber. Locations where these fossil were found indicate a much wider historical range for this family of spiders than what it currently occupies.
Our local species is M. australis but it is possible that there are another one or two species that may occur in the Northern Rivers. The evidence for this is somewhat sketchy though. |
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Matilda australis
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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: Cyatholipidae (Tree Sheetweb Spiders)
> Genus: Matilda
> Species: M. australis
References and links:
> Dunlop, J.A., Kotthoff, U., Hammel ,J.U., Ahrens, J. and Harms, D., (2018). ' Arachnids in Bitterfeld amber: A unique fauna of fossils from the heart of Europe or simply old friends?' Evolutionary Systematics 2: 31-44. https://doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.2.22581
> Forster, R.R., (1988). 'The spiders of New Zealand: Part VI. Family Cyatholipidae.' Otago Museum Bulletin 6: 7-34.
> Griswold, C.E., (2001). 'A monograph of the living world genera and Afrotropical species of cyatholipid spiders (Araneae, Orbiculariae, Araneoidea, Cyatholipidae).' Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences 26: 1-251.
> Özdikmen, H., (2009). 'Nomenclatural changes for three preoccupied Australian spider genera described by R. R. Forster (Arachnida: Araneae).' Munis Entomology and Zoology 4: 121-124
> Simon, E., (1894). 'Histoire des araignees. Deuxieme edition, tome premier.' Roret, Paris, pp. 489-760. [second pdf with detailed publication dates of the single parts] doi:10.5962/bhl.title.51973
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Simon
https://wsc.nmbe.ch/family/21
> Dunlop, J.A., Kotthoff, U., Hammel ,J.U., Ahrens, J. and Harms, D., (2018). ' Arachnids in Bitterfeld amber: A unique fauna of fossils from the heart of Europe or simply old friends?' Evolutionary Systematics 2: 31-44. https://doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.2.22581
> Forster, R.R., (1988). 'The spiders of New Zealand: Part VI. Family Cyatholipidae.' Otago Museum Bulletin 6: 7-34.
> Griswold, C.E., (2001). 'A monograph of the living world genera and Afrotropical species of cyatholipid spiders (Araneae, Orbiculariae, Araneoidea, Cyatholipidae).' Memoirs of the California Academy of Sciences 26: 1-251.
> Özdikmen, H., (2009). 'Nomenclatural changes for three preoccupied Australian spider genera described by R. R. Forster (Arachnida: Araneae).' Munis Entomology and Zoology 4: 121-124
> Simon, E., (1894). 'Histoire des araignees. Deuxieme edition, tome premier.' Roret, Paris, pp. 489-760. [second pdf with detailed publication dates of the single parts] doi:10.5962/bhl.title.51973
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Simon
https://wsc.nmbe.ch/family/21
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