Clitaetra
Encyclopedia
Clitaetra is the least known of the four currently recognised nephilid
spider
genera. It occurs in Africa
, Madagascar
and Sri Lanka
, hinting to a Gondwana
n origin. The split between Clitaetra and other nephilids may be as old as 160 million years.
The smallest species (C. thisbe) reaches 3.5 mm in female length, the biggest species can be as long as one centimeter.
Nephilidae
The Nephilidae are a spider family with 75 described species in four genera. They were formerly grouped in the families Araneidae and Tetragnathidae. The genus Singafrotypa was moved to Araneidae in 2002.All nephilid genera partially renew their webs....
spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
genera. It occurs in Africa
Africa
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...
, Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, hinting to a Gondwana
Gondwana
In paleogeography, Gondwana , originally Gondwanaland, was the southernmost of two supercontinents that later became parts of the Pangaea supercontinent. It existed from approximately 510 to 180 million years ago . Gondwana is believed to have sutured between ca. 570 and 510 Mya,...
n origin. The split between Clitaetra and other nephilids may be as old as 160 million years.
The smallest species (C. thisbe) reaches 3.5 mm in female length, the biggest species can be as long as one centimeter.
Species
- Clitaetra clathrata Simon, 1907 (West Africa)
- Clitaetra episinoides Simon, 1889 (Comoro Is.)
- Clitaetra irenae Kuntner, 2006 (South Africa)
- Clitaetra perroti Simon, 1894 (Madagascar)
- Clitaetra simoni Benoit, 1962 (Congo)
- Clitaetra thisbe Simon, 1903 (Sri Lanka)