Atypus
| Atypus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A. karschi | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Suborder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Atypidae |
| Genus: | Atypus Latreille, 1804 |
| Species | |
|
A.affinis | |
| Diversity | |
| 29 species | |
Atypus [1] is a genus of mygalomorph spider, the purse web spiders. It occurs in Eurasia, with one species (A. affinis) reaching into North Africa, and one species (A. snetsingeri) in the USA. Only three of the described species occur in Europe: A. piceus, A. affinis, and A. muralis.
Peasants in the southern Carpathian Mountains used to cut up tubes built by Atypus and cover wounds with the inner lining. It reportedly facilitated healing, and even connected with the skin. This is believed to be due to antiseptic properties of spider silk (which is made of protein).[2]
Identification features
They are three-clawed, medium to large spiders with eight eyes. They have six spinnerets with the median spinneret truncated. The prolateral sides of the maxillae are elongated. The cephalic side of the cephalothorax is elevated. They have large chelicerae with long and thin fangs. The male sternum has marginal ridges.[1]
Species
- Atypus affinis Eichwald, 1830 — Britain to Ukraine, North Africa
- Atypus baotianmanensis Hu, 1994 — China
- Atypus coreanus Kim, 1985 — Korea
- Atypus dorsualis Thorell, 1897 — Myanmar, Thailand
- Atypus flexus Zhu et al., 2006 — China
- Atypus formosensis Kayashima, 1943 — Taiwan
- Atypus heterothecus Zhang, 1985 — China
- Atypus javanus Thorell, 1890 — Java
- Atypus karschi Dönitz, 1887 — China, Taiwan, Japan
- Atypus lannaianus Schwendinger, 1989 — Thailand
- Atypus largosaccatus Zhu et al., 2006 — China
- Atypus ledongensis Zhu et al., 2006 — China
- Atypus magnus Namkung, 1986 — Russia, Korea
- Atypus medius Oliger, 1999 — Russia
- Atypus muralis Bertkau, 1890 — Central Europe to Turkmenistan
- Atypus pedicellatus Zhu et al., 2006 — China
- Atypus piceus (Sulzer, 1776) — Europe to Moldavia, Iran
- Atypus quelpartensis Namkung, 2002 — Korea
- Atypus sacculatus Zhu et al., 2006 — China
- Atypus sinensis Schenkel, 1953 — China
- Atypus snetsingeri Sarno, 1973 — USA
- Atypus sternosulcus Kim et al., 2006 — Korea
- Atypus suiningensis Zhang, 1985 — China
- Atypus suthepicus Schwendinger, 1989 — Thailand
- Atypus sutherlandi Chennappaiya, 1935 — India
- Atypus suwonensis Kim et al., 2006 — Korea
- Atypus tibetensis Zhu et al., 2006 — China
- Atypus wataribabaorum Tanikawa, 2006 — Japan
- Atypus yajuni Zhu et al., 2006 — China
References
- Platnick, Norman I. (2009): The world spider catalog, version 9.5. American Museum of Natural History.