Desis | |
---|---|
Desis japonica, female | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
Family: | Desidae |
Genus: | Desis Walckenaer, 1837[1] |
Type species | |
D. maxillosa (Fabricius, 1793)
| |
Species | |
14, see text |
Desis is a genus of intertidal spiders that was first described by Charles Athanase Walckenaer in 1837.[2] Species of the genus are found in Australasia, the Pacific, Japan, eastern and southern Africa, and India. They are marine spiders, living in the intertidal zone and only emerging at the ebb tide to hunt for invertebrates including shrimp. When submerged during high tides, they stay in an air chamber sealed with silk,[3][4][5] and breathe its air.[6]
NMBE
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).