Parasteatoda

{{Short description| Genus of spiders}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| taxon = Parasteatoda

| image = Achae_tepid.JPG

| image_caption = P. tepidariorum

| authority = Archer, 1946

| type_species = P. tepidariorum

| type_species_authority = (C. L. Koch, 1841)

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision = 42, see text

}}

Parasteatoda is a genus of comb-footed spiders that was first described by Allan Frost Archer in 1946.{{cite journal| last=Archer| first=A. F.| year=1946| title=The Theridiidae or comb-footed spiders of Alabama| journal=Museum Paper, Alabama Museum of Natural History| pages=1–67| volume=22| author-link=Allan Frost Archer}} The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek "para-" ({{lang|grc|παρά}}), meaning "near" or "next to", and the theridiid genus Steatoda. The Japanese name for this genus is O-himegumo zoku.{{cite journal| last=Yoshida| first=H.| year=2008| title=A revision of the genus Achaearanea (Araneae: Theridiidae)| journal=Acta Arachnologica| volume=57| pages=37–40| doi=10.2476/asjaa.57.37| doi-access=free}}

Description

File:Parasteatoda eye group.svg

Parasteatoda species have a characteristic teardrop-shaped abdomen, with the anterior section much higher than the carapace and the spinnerets pointed downwards. The abdomen's colouration is highly variable, both between and often within species. They have slight sexual dimorphism; males are visually similar to females, although slightly smaller.{{Cite book |last1=Bee |first1=Lawrence |title=Britain's Spiders: A Field Guide |last2=Oxford |first2=Geoff |last3=Smith |first3=Helen |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=2020 |isbn=9780691204741 |edition=2nd |location=Woodstock |pages=174 }}

Species

It is mostly an Old World genus, with many species found in Asia and New Guinea, though the distribution reaches into Europe. A few species originate from the New World, but many have been introduced, and they are becoming more widespread in the Americas and Europe.

{{as of|2020|05}} it contains forty-two species and two subspecies:{{cite journal| title=Gen. Parasteatoda Archer, 1946| website=World Spider Catalog Version 20.0| accessdate=2020-06-30| year=2020| publisher=Natural History Museum Bern| url=http://www.wsc.nmbe.ch/genus/3520| doi=10.24436/2| last1=Gloor| first1=Daniel| last2=Nentwig| first2=Wolfgang| last3=Blick| first3=Theo| last4=Kropf| first4=Christian}}

Formerly included:

  • P. brookesiana (Barrion & Litsinger, 1995) (Transferred to Nihonhimea)
  • P. campanulata (Chen, 1993) (Transferred to Campanicola)
  • P. ferrumequina (Bösenberg & Strand, 1906) (Transferred to Campanicola)
  • P. japonica (Bösenberg & Strand, 1906) (Transferred to Nihonhimea)
  • P. mundula (L. Koch, 1872) (Transferred to Nihonhimea)
  • P. mundula (Chrysanthus, 1963) (Transferred to Nihonhimea)
  • P. oculiprominens Saito, 1939 (Transferred to Keijiella)
  • P. tesselata (Keyserling, 1884) (Transferred to Nihonhimea)

In synonymy:

  • P. boqueronica (Kraus, 1955) = Parasteatoda nigrovittata (Keyserling, 1884)
  • P. krausi (Chrysanthus, 1963) = Parasteatoda camura (Simon, 1877)
  • P. lunata (Olivier, 1789) = Parasteatoda lunata (Clerck, 1757)
  • P. mesax Levi, 1959 = Parasteatoda nigrovittata (Keyserling, 1884)
  • P. nipponica (Yoshida, 1983) = Parasteatoda tabulata (Levi, 1980)
  • P. obnubila (Keyserling, 1891) = Parasteatoda nigrovittata (Keyserling, 1884)
  • P. pallida (Walckenaer, 1841) = Parasteatoda tepidariorum (C. L. Koch, 1841)

See also

{{Commons|Parasteatoda}}

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • {{cite book| last1=Song| first1=D. X.| last2=Zhu| first2=M. S.| last3=Chen| first3=J.| year=1999| title=The Spiders of China| publisher=Hebei Science and Technology Publishing House, Shijiazhuang| pages=640}}
  • {{cite book| last=Zhu| first=M. S.| year=1998| title=Fauna Sinica: Arachnida: Araneae: Theridiidae| publisher=Science Press, Beijing| pages=436}}
  • {{cite book| last=Yin| first=C. M.| display-authors=etal| year=2012| title=Fauna Hunan: Araneae in Hunan, China| publisher=Hunan Science and Technology Press, Changsha| pages=1590}}
  • {{citation| last=Yoshida| first=H.| year=2009| contribution=Uloboridae, Theridiidae, Ctenidae| editor-last=Ono| editor-first=H.| title=The spiders of Japan with keys to the families and genera and illustrations of the species}}

{{Taxonbar| from=Q3015061}}

Category:Theridiidae genera

Category:Spiders of Africa

Category:Spiders of Asia

Category:Spiders of North America

Category:Spiders of Oceania

Category:Spiders of South America

Category:Theridiidae