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]

Desis
Desis japonica, female
Scientific classification Edit this 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

Species

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As of May 2019 it contains fourteen species:[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Gen. Desis Walckenaer, 1837". World Spider Catalog Version 20.0. Natural History Museum Bern. 2019. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
  2. ^ Walckenaer, C. A. (1837). Histoire naturelle des insectes. Aptères.
  3. ^ "Desis sp. Marine Spiders". www.arachne.org.au. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  4. ^ Baehr, B.C.; Raven, R. & Harms, D. (2017). "'High Tide or Low Tide': Desis bobmarleyi sp. n., a new spider from coral reefs in Australia's Sunshine State and its relative from Sāmoa (Araneae, Desidae, Desis)". Evolutionary Systematics. 1: 111–120. doi:10.3897/evolsyst.1.15735.
  5. ^ Nyffeler, M.; Pusey, B.J. (2014). "Fish Predation by Semi-Aquatic Spiders: A Global Pattern". PLOS ONE. 9 (6): e99459. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...999459N. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0099459. PMC 4062410. PMID 24940885.
  6. ^ "Mysterious Marine Spiders in Sydney Harbour". The Australian Museum. Retrieved 2023-11-25.