Rothus
| Rothus | |
|---|---|
| File:Rothus purpurissatus01.jpg | |
| R. aethiopicus | |
| File:Rothus vittatus 98342656.jpg | |
| R. vittatus | |
| Scientific classification Edit this classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Pisauridae |
| Genus: | Rothus Simon, 1898[1] |
| Species | |
| |
Rothus is a genus of nursery web spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1898.[2] Its three species are found in Africa, with R. aethiopicus reaching into Israel.[1]
Life style
[edit | edit source]These are free-running plant dwellers found in vegetation and are active at night. Some species sometimes wander into residences.[3]
Description
[edit | edit source]Members of this genus can be distinguished from all other African pisaurid genera by having three cheliceral teeth on the retromargin, an anterior eye row that is slightly procurved, and a posterior eye row that is recurved and wider than the anterior eye row.[3]
In males, the tegulum is large with a pronounced anterior projection, the conductor is large and pointed, the embolus is sickle-shaped, and the median apophysis is aligned and points almost horizontally retrolaterad. The retrolateral tibial apophysis is elongated and has a divided tip.[3]
The female copulatory organs feature an anteriorly excavated middle field and prominent curved lateral lobes.[3]
Taxonomy
[edit | edit source]The genus was reviewed by Silva and Sierwald in 2015.[3]
Species
[edit | edit source]As of October 2025[update], this genus includes three species:[1]
- Rothus aethiopicus (Pavesi, 1883) – Cameroon, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini, Egypt, Israel (type species)
- Rothus auratus Pocock, 1900 – South Africa
- Rothus vittatus Simon, 1898 – South Africa
See also
[edit | edit source]References
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- ^ a b c d e Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).File:Creative Commons by small.svg This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
External links
[edit | edit source]- Citizen science observations for Rothus at iNaturalistLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
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