Author: Charles E. Griswold Publisher: ISBN: Category : Amaurobiidae Languages : en Pages : 214
Book Description
"The subfamily Phyxelidinae Lehtinen of the Amaurobiidae is diagnosed and revised, and a key to and distribution maps of the 53 valid and 1 undescribed species are provided. The subfamily comprises 12 genera placed in three newly described tribes: Ambohima, new genus, Kulalania new genus, Lamaika, new genus, Malaika Lehtinen, Matundua Lehtinen, Namaquarachne, new genus, Phyxelida Simon, Pongolania, new genus, Themacrys Simon, Vidole Lehtinen, Vytfutia Deeleman-Reinhold, and Xevioso Lehtinen. Vytfutia is newly transferred to the Phyxelidinae. Members of the Phyxelidinae occur in Africa, Madagascar, the eastern Mediterranean, and southeast Asia. The Phyxelidinae is monophyletic and is defined by the following putative synapomorphies: at least some of the basal prolateral setae on the palpal femora of both sexes are enlarged, and in many species the setae are also modified into thorns; the tarsal trichobothria are lost and the metatarsal pattern is reduced to a single subapical dorsal trichobothrium; and the origin of the calamistrum is shifted to the median part of the fourth metatarsus. Previous familial placements of the spiders here placed in the Phyxelidinae are critically evaluated, and it is concluded that the Phyxelidinae are members of the Amaurobiidae. The Amaurobiidae is redefined on the basis of putative synapomorphies as spiders with a divided cribellum which have simple, sclerotized retrolateral and dorsal tibial processes on the male palp (however, the retrolateral process is lost in all Phyxelidinae except Vytfutia). A cladogram for the 54 species of the Phyxelidinae derived through numerical parsimony analysis using Swofford's program PAUP is presented. The following new taxa are proposed: new tribes: Vytfutiini, Vidoleini, and Phyxelidini; new genera: Ambohima (type species Ambohima sublima, new species, from Madagascar), Kulalania (type species Kulalania antiqua, new species, from Kenya), Lamaika (type species Lamaika distincta, new species, from South Africa), Namaquarachne (type species Namaquarachne khoikhoiana, new species, from South Africa), and Pongolania (type species Pongolania pongola, new species, from South Africa); new species: Ambohima sublima and A. pauliani; Kulalania antiqua; Lamaika distincta; Malaika delicatula; Namaquarachne angulata, N. khoikhoiana, N. thaumatula, and N. tropata; Phyxelida abyssinica, P. anatolica, P. apwania, P. carcharata, P. crassibursa, P. eurygyna, P. fanivelona, P. irwini, P. jabalina, P. kipia, P. malagasyana P. pingoana, P. sindanoa, and P. umlima; Pongolania chrysionaria and P. pongola; Themacrys ukhahlamba; Vidole V. helicigyna, V. lyra, and V. sothoana; Xevioso amica, X. aululata, X. colobata, X. jocquei, X. kulufa, X. lichmadina, and X. orthomeles. The following new synonymies are proposed: Haemilla grindleyi Lawrence with Malaika longipes (Purcell); Haemilla profundissima Lawrence with Vidole capensis (Pocock). The synonymies of Auximus schreineri Purcell with Auximus capensis Pocock, and of Haemilla tanganensis Simon and Fage with Amphigyrum nebulosum Tullgren, are rejected. Themacrys stolida Simon is considered a nomen dubium"--Page 3
Author: Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa ISBN: 0799369101 Category : Juvenile Nonfiction Languages : en Pages : 433
Book Description
This is the first-ever field guide to provide information on a vast spectrum of spider species based on their morphology, behaviour and distribution. It’s the first book to introduce all 70 South African spider families including 370 major genera and more than 860 of the more common species. It includes illustrations of all of the families, genera and species as well as more than 2 000 colour photographs and 843 maps. - A thorough summary of morphology, biology and habitat requirements is provided - Species with medical importance are discussed - The morphological characters of all known spider families from South Africa are provided and illustrated with notes on their behavior as well as further reading material - Short morphological data with notes on behaviour and distribution of 370 major genera and 860 species is provided This field guide’s purpose is to enable observers to identify spiders in the field. One of the difficulties facing a spider-watcher is that a large number of spider species are small and extremely well camouflaged and are therefore not easily seen. For some genera you will need a magnifying glass or microscope to be able to identify the specimen to generic or species level. Many species can only be identified by a specialist who has access to a good microscope and the relevant literature. Most of the spiders were photographed alive in their natural settings and only some rare and smaller species were photographed using a camera mounted on a microscope. The illustrations and descriptions make it easy for an inexperienced spider-watcher to identify many of the common species encountered in and around the house. The spiders were divided according to the free-living species and those that build intricate webs to catch their prey. The free-living spiders were further divided according to those found on the vegetation and those living on the ground. Spiders are an abundant, diverse and highly successful group of animals. They are commonly found on farms, in gardens and also in houses. They are important predators in all terrestrial ecosystems and are regarded as the “best friends” of gardeners and farmers in sustainable agriculture because they have the important task of regulating the numbers of potentially harmful insects and mites. However, they are feared and maligned because of the venom they produce. We hope this field guide will help save the lives of a few spiders. It will be valuable for the man on the street, researchers, conservation agencies, students, gardeners, farmers, as well as spider-watchers and photographers.
Author: Petar Beron Publisher: Springer ISBN: 3319744186 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 987
Book Description
This volume merges all geographical and paleogeographical data on all groups of the arachnofauna. The book features topics such as the ecological factors, climate and other barriers that influence the distribution of arachnida. It also elaborates on the characteristics of the distribution such as arachnida at high altitude (e.g. Himalaya), in caves, in polar regions and highlights differences between the arachnofauna of e.g. Mediterranean regions vs Central Europe, West African vs Indomalayan and more. Furthermore, amongst other topics the volume also includes chapters on the systems of arachnida, fossil orders, dispersal and dispersion, endemics and relicts, regional arachnogeography, cave and high altitude arachnida.
Author: Janet Leonard Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0199717036 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 550
Book Description
Primary sexual traits, those structures and processes directly involved in reproduction, are some of the most diverse, specialized, and bizarre in the animal kingdom. Moreover, reproductive traits are often species-specific, suggesting that they evolved very rapidly. This diversity, long the province of taxonomists, has recently attracted broader interest from evolutionary biologists, especially those interested in sexual selection and the evolution of reproductive strategies. Primary sexual characters were long assumed to be the product of natural selection, exclusively. A recent alternative suggests that sexual selection explains much of the diversity of "primary" sexual characters. A third approach to the evolution of reproductive interactions after copulation or insemination has been to consider the process one of sexual conflict. That is, the reproductive processes of a species may reflect, as does the mating system, evolution acting on males and on females, but in different directions. In this volume, authors explore a wide variety of primary sexual characters and selective pressures that have shaped them, from natural selection for offspring survival to species-isolating mechanisms, sperm competition, cryptic female choice and sexual arms races. Exploring diverse reproductive adaptations from a theoretical and practical perspective, The Evolution of Primary Sexual Characters will provide an unparalleled overview of sexual diversity in many taxa and an introduction to the issues in sexual selection that are changing our view of sexual processes.
Author: Oscar Grillo Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand ISBN: 9533077964 Category : Science Languages : en Pages : 406
Book Description
As everybody knows, the dynamic interactions between biotic and abiotic factors, as well as the anthropic ones, considerably affect global climate changes and consequently biology, ecology and distribution of life forms of our planet. These important natural events affect all ecosystems, causing important changes on biodiversity. Systematic and phylogenetic studies, biogeographic distribution analysis and evaluations of diversity richness are focal topics of this book written by international experts, some even considering economical effects and future perspectives on the managing and conservation plans.