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Poecilochroa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Poecilochroa
Poecilochroa sp. from Saul Kere, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Gnaphosidae
Genus: Poecilochroa
Westring, 1874[1]
Type species
P. variana
(C. L. Koch, 1839)
Species

39, see text

Poecilochroa is a genus of ground spiders that was first described by Niklas Westring in 1874.[2]

Description

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As Gnaphosidae, Poecilochroa have large cylindrical spinnerets. They are nocturnal, spending the day in silken retreats and going out at night to hunt.[3]

Poecilochroa are divided into two gnaphosid groups based on their abdomen colouration: those with plain abdomens are in the Echemus group, while those with black and white abdomen are in the Herpyllus group. Males of both groups have well-developed dorsal scuta.[4]

Habitat

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Poecilochroa occur in various habitats including on and under stones and dead leaves, on vegetation, in steppes, grasslands, dry fields, stream beds and forest floors.[5][6]

Species

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As of May 2019 it contains thirty-nine species and one subspecies:[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Gloor, Daniel; Nentwig, Wolfgang; Blick, Theo; Kropf, Christian (2019). "Gen. Poecilochroa Westring, 1874". World Spider Catalog Version 20.0. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  2. ^ Westring, N. (1874). "Bemerkungen über die Arachnologischen Abhandlungen von Dr T. Thorell unter dem Titel: 1°, On European Spiders, pts 1 et 2, Upsala, 1869-70. 2°, Remarks on Synonyms of European Spiders, Upsala, 1872-73". Göteborgs Kungliga Vetenskaps och Vitterhets Samhälles Handlingar. 14: 1–68.
  3. ^ "Flat-bellied ground spiders, Gnaphosidae". ednieuw.home.xs4all.nl. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  4. ^ Chatzaki, J. Lissner M. (2016-01-01). First records of Poecilochroa taborensis Levy, 1999 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) from Greece and Cyprus with notes on some closely related species. OCLC 1248842562.
  5. ^ Bayram, Abdullah; Varol, M. İsmail (2003). "On Poecilochroa variana , recently collected in Turkey for the first time (Araneae: Gnaphosidae)". Zoology in the Middle East. 30 (1): 101–104. doi:10.1080/09397140.2003.10637994. ISSN 0939-7140. S2CID 84776303.
  6. ^ Alioua, Youcef; Bosmans, Robert (May 2020). "Poecilochroa senilis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) recorded for the first time in Algeria and Morocco, with the proposition of a new synonym". The Arachnological Bulletin of the Middle East and North Africa. 17 (2): 121–126.