Cteniza sauvagesi

Cteniza sauvagesi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
Family: Ctenizidae
Genus: Cteniza
Species:
C. sauvagesi
Binomial name
Cteniza sauvagesi
(Rossi, 1788)[1]
Synonyms[1]
  • Aepycephalus brevidens
  • Aranea sauvagii
  • Aranea sauvagesii
  • Mygale sauvagesi
  • Mygale fodiens
  • Nemesia fodiens
  • Cteniza brevidens (Doleschall, 1871)

Cteniza sauvagesi is a trapdoor spider first described in 1788 by Pietro Rossi.[2] These spiders have only been found in the Mediterranean region, mainly on the large islands of Corsica and Sardinia on roadside banks and in the littoral zone. They are darkly colored with a shiny head and can reach 20 millimetres (0.79 in) in length.[3]

Their trap-door burrows are lined with gossamer, more so than those of Nemesiidae. The trap's lid is cork-like and can be up to a centimeter in diameter. When the spider notices prey (probably by detecting vibration), it lunges out, to grab it before immediately retreating. The spider always stays inside its burrow with its hindlegs, in order not to lock itself out. The only time it leaves is to search for a mate. When the male finds a female's burrow, he will quaver on the lid with his legs until the female appears.[4]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference NMBE was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ross88 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Le Peru, B. (2011). "The spiders of Europe, a synthesis of data: Volume 1 Atypidae to Theridiidae". Mémoires de la Société Linnéenne de Lyon. 2: 68–69.
  4. ^ Ausserer, A. (1871). "Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Arachniden-Familie der Territelariae Thorell (Mygalidae Autor)". Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-Königlichen Zoologisch-Botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien. 21: 151.