Poecilochroa is a genus of ground spiders that was first described by Niklas Westring in 1874.[2]

Poecilochroa
Poecilochroa sp. from Saul Kere, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Gnaphosidae
Genus: Poecilochroa
Westring, 1874[1]
Type species
P. variana
(C. L. Koch, 1839)
Species

39, see text

Description edit

As Gnaphosidae, Poecilochroa have large cylindrical spinnerets. They are nocturnal, spending the day in silken retreats and going out at night to hunt.[3]

Poecilochroa are divided into two gnaphosid groups based on their abdomen colouration: those with plain abdomens are in the Echemus group, while those with black and white abdomen are in the Herpyllus group. Males of both groups have well-developed dorsal scuta.[4]

Habitat edit

Poecilochroa occur in various habitats including on and under stones and dead leaves, on vegetation, in steppes, grasslands, dry fields, stream beds and forest floors.[5][6]

Species edit

As of May 2019 it contains thirty-nine species and one subspecies:[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Gloor, Daniel; Nentwig, Wolfgang; Blick, Theo; Kropf, Christian (2019). "Gen. Poecilochroa Westring, 1874". World Spider Catalog Version 20.0. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  2. ^ Westring, N. (1874). "Bemerkungen über die Arachnologischen Abhandlungen von Dr T. Thorell unter dem Titel: 1°, On European Spiders, pts 1 et 2, Upsala, 1869-70. 2°, Remarks on Synonyms of European Spiders, Upsala, 1872-73". Göteborgs Kungliga Vetenskaps och Vitterhets Samhälles Handlingar. 14: 1–68.
  3. ^ "Flat-bellied ground spiders, Gnaphosidae". ednieuw.home.xs4all.nl. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
  4. ^ Chatzaki, J. Lissner M. (2016-01-01). First records of Poecilochroa taborensis Levy, 1999 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) from Greece and Cyprus with notes on some closely related species. OCLC 1248842562.
  5. ^ Bayram, Abdullah; Varol, M. İsmail (2003). "On Poecilochroa variana , recently collected in Turkey for the first time (Araneae: Gnaphosidae)". Zoology in the Middle East. 30 (1): 101–104. doi:10.1080/09397140.2003.10637994. ISSN 0939-7140. S2CID 84776303.
  6. ^ Alioua, Youcef; Bosmans, Robert (May 2020). "Poecilochroa senilis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) (Araneae: Gnaphosidae) recorded for the first time in Algeria and Morocco, with the proposition of a new synonym". The Arachnological Bulletin of the Middle East and North Africa. 17 (2): 121–126.