Porrhothele facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Porrhothele |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Porrhothelidae Hedin & Bond, 2018 |
| Genus: | Porrhothele Simon, 1892 |
| Type species | |
| P. antipodiana (Walckenaer, 1837)
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5, see text |
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Porrhothele is a group of spiders that live only in New Zealand. They are special because they are the only spiders in their family, called Porrhothelidae. These spiders were first described by a scientist named Eugène Simon in 1892.
At first, scientists thought these spiders belonged to the curtain web spider family. Later, in 1980, they were moved to the Hexathelidae family. But in 2018, new studies showed that Porrhothele spiders are unique enough to have their very own family.
You can tell Porrhothele spiders apart from other similar spiders by a few things. They have small marks on their back end called sigillae. They also have a single row of teeth on the front part of their chelicerae (which are like their jaws). Male Porrhothele spiders have many strong spines on the front of their tibiae (part of their legs).
Spider Classification
The group Porrhothele was named by Eugène Simon in 1892. He named it for a specific spider, Porrhothele antipodiana. Before this, many spiders like these were just called Mygale. That name is not used anymore.
Simon first put Porrhothele in a group that later became the Dipluridae family. Later, another scientist moved them to the Hexathelidae family. They stayed there for a long time.
In 2018, scientists used new methods to study spider DNA. These studies showed that Porrhothele spiders are quite different. This led to them getting their own family, Porrhothelidae. This helps us understand how different spider groups are related to each other.
Types of Porrhothele Spiders
As of May 2019, there are five known types, or species, of Porrhothele spiders. All of them are found only in New Zealand.
- Porrhothele antipodiana (Walckenaer, 1837) – This is the main type of Porrhothele spider.
- Porrhothele blanda Forster, 1968 – Found in New Zealand.
- Porrhothele moana Forster, 1968 – Found in New Zealand.
- Porrhothele modesta Forster, 1968 – Found in New Zealand.
- Porrhothele quadrigyna Forster, 1968 – Found in New Zealand.
See also
