| Patu digua | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Symphytognathidae |
| Genus: | Patu |
| Species: | P. digua
|
| Binomial name | |
| Patu digua | |
Patu digua is a very small species of spider. The male holotype and female paratype were collected from Río Digua, near Queremal, Valle del Cauca, in Colombia.[1]
By some accounts it is the smallest spider in the world,[2] as males reach a body size of only about 0.37 mm (0.015 in)[3]—roughly one fifth the size of the head of a pin.
The use of the spider as a necrobotic gripping tool in microscopic manipulations was suggested in 2022.[4]
- ^ a b Forster, Raymond R. & Platnick, Norman I. (9 May 1977). "A review of the spider family Symphytognathidae (Arachnida, Araneae)" (PDF). American Museum Novitates (2619): 1–29 [20]. hdl:2246/5471.
- ^ William A. Shear (1986). Spiders--webs, Behavior, and Evolution. Stanford University Press. pp. 425–. ISBN 978-0-8047-1203-3.
- ^ Taylor, Christopher (29 August 2008). "The Strangest of Spiders".
- ^ Yap, Te Faye & Liu, Zhen (Oct 2022). "Necrobotics: Biotic Materials as Ready-to-Use Actuators". Advanced Science. 9 (29): 2201174. doi:10.1002/advs.202201174. PMC 9561765. PMID 35875913.