Cithaeronidae
Encyclopedia
The Cithaeronidae are a small spider family with only six species in two genera.
, India
and parts of Eurasia
. Three adult females of C. praedonius were found in Teresina
, Piauí
, Brazil
. As they were found in and near human housings, they presumably were accidentally introduced. This is probably also the case for finds in the Northern Territory
of Australia
.
, 1872
Inthaeron Platnick, 1991
Biology
Cithaeronidae are fast moving spiders which actively hunt at night and rest during the day in silken retreats they construct below rocks.. Female Cithaeron are about 5 to 7 mm long, males about 4 mm. They are pale yellowish, and have a preference for very hot, dry stony places.Distribution
While Inthaeron occurs only in India, members of the genus Cithaeron can be found in AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and parts of Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
. Three adult females of C. praedonius were found in Teresina
Teresina
Teresina is the capital and most populous municipality in the Brazilian state of Piauí. It is located in North-central Piauí 366 km from the coast.It is therefore, the only capital in the Northeast that is not located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. With 814 439 inhabitants, it is the 19th...
, Piauí
Piauí
Piauí is one of the states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country.Piauí has the shortest coastline of any of the non-landlocked Brazilian states at 66 km , and the capital, Teresina, is the only state capital in the north east to be located inland...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. As they were found in and near human housings, they presumably were accidentally introduced. This is probably also the case for finds in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Species
Cithaeron O. P-CambridgeOctavius Pickard-Cambridge
The Reverend Octavius Pickard-Cambridge FRS was an English clergyman and zoologist.Pickard-Cambridge was born in Bloxworth rectory, Dorset, the fifth son of Revd George Pickard, rector and squire of Bloxworth: the family changed their name to Pickard-Cambridge in 1848...
, 1872
- Cithaeron delimbatus StrandEmbrik StrandEmbrik Strand was an arachnologist who classified many insect and spider species, including the greenbottle blue tarantula....
, 1906 — East AfricaEast AfricaEast Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:... - Cithaeron indicus PlatnickNorman I. PlatnickNorman I. Platnick is an American arachnologist, and the Peter J. Solomon Family Curator of the invertebrate zoology department of the American Museum of Natural History. A 1973 Ph.D...
& Gajbe, 1994 — India - Cithaeron jocqueorum Platnick, 1991 — Ivory Coast
- Cithaeron praedonius O. P.-Cambridge, 1872 — GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, LibyaLibyaLibya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
to Malaysia, Australia and Brazil - Cithaeron reimoseri Platnick, 1991 — EthiopiaEthiopiaEthiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
Inthaeron Platnick, 1991
- Inthaeron rossi Platnick, 1991 — India