Ascyltus
| Ascyltus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Salticidae |
| Subfamily: | Salticinae |
| Genus: | Ascyltus Karsch, 1878[1] |
| Type species | |
| A. pterygodes (L. Koch, 1865)
| |
| Species | |
|
10, see text | |
Ascyltus are a genus of jumping spiders in the family Salticidae that was first described by Ferdinand Anton Franz Karsch in 1878.[2] As of 2020, this Genus contained 10 species [3] and is a part of the largest family of spiders. The Ascyltus spiders utilize their vision in courtship, hunting, and navigation. Ascyltus are usually large to medium sized Salticids and often move relatively slow. However, they are capable of agile jumps when moving, hunting, or to avoid predators. They have well developed book lungs and tracheal systems, and they are capable of utilizing both systems (bimodal breathing). Ascyltus have three rows of eyes. Like other spiders in their family, the anterior median pair is particularly large. One distinguishable characteristic of the Ascyltus include their antero-lateral carapace, which is iridescently colored.[4]
Distinguishing characteristics
Ascyltus are relatively large to medium sized salticids. Distinguishable from other Pacific salticids by the antero-lateral carapace, which is iridescently colored. The antero-lateral carapace is widened in adults and late juveniles alike. The eyes in three rows instead of four and the first metatarsal spines being absent. [4]
Males average 13-19 millimeters
Females average 16-20 millimeters
Habitat
The majority of Acyltus live in the oceania and oceanic islands. [5] Some Ascyltus have also been found in the Hawaiian islands. [4]
Species
As of June 2019[update] it contains ten species, found only in Oceania, on the Pacific Islands, and Sulawesi:[1]
- Ascyltus asper (Karsch, 1878) – Australia (New South Wales), New Caledonia
- Ascyltus audax (Rainbow, 1897) – Tuvalu (Funafuti)
- Ascyltus divinus Karsch, 1878 – Australia (Queensland), Fiji
- Ascyltus ferox (Rainbow, 1897) – Tuvalu (Funafuti)
- Ascyltus lautus (Keyserling, 1881) – New Guinea, Samoa
- Ascyltus minahassae Merian, 1911 – Indonesia (Sulawesi)
- Ascyltus opulentus (Walckenaer, 1837) – Tonga
- Ascyltus pterygodes (L. Koch, 1865) (type) – Pacific Is.
- Ascyltus rhizophora Berry, Beatty & Prószyński, 1997 – Fiji
- Ascyltus similis Berry, Beatty & Prószyński, 1997 – Fiji, Samoa
References
- ^ a b "Gen. Ascyltus Karsch, 1878". World Spider Catalog Version 20.0. Natural History Museum Bern. 2019. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
- ^ Karsch, F. (1878). "Diagnoses Attoidarum aliquot novarum Novae Hollandiae collectionis Musei Zoologici Berolinensis". Mittheilungen des Münchener Entomologischen Vereins. 2: 22–32.
3. https://wsc.nmbe.ch/specieslist/2513 [retrieved 15 April 2020]
4. Berry, J. W; Joseph A. B.; Jerzy, P. (1997). "Salticidae of the Pacific Islands. II. Distribution of nine genera, with descriptions of eleven new species". Journal of Arachnology .111 (3): 109-136.
5.Richardson, B. J.; M. Zabka, M. R. Gray, and G. Milledge. (2006)"Distributional patterns of jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) in Australia." Journal of Biogeography.s 33 (4): 707-719.
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