Praestigia is a genus of sheet weavers that was first described by Alfred Frank Millidge in 1954.[2]
| Praestigia | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Linyphiidae |
| Genus: | Praestigia Millidge, 1954[1] |
| Type species | |
| P. duffeyi Millidge, 1954
| |
| Species | |
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8, see text | |
The defining characteristic of Praestigia is a projection issuing from the ocular region in males, which varies in form depending on the species, and bears a cap at its distal end. The cap is composed of a series of interconnected fibers glued to the projection with a waxy substance. The cap itself is easily dislodged and lost, and where it originates from is unclear.[3]
The generic name is a combination of Latin prae, meaning "in front" or "before" and Greek stigios, meaning "an awl," a reference to the above-described projection.[3]
Species edit
As of May 2019[update] it contains eight species:[1]
- Praestigia duffeyi Millidge, 1954 (type) – Europe
- Praestigia eskovi Marusik, Gnelitsa & Koponen, 2008 – Russia
- Praestigia groenlandica Holm, 1967 – Canada, Greenland
- Praestigia kulczynskii Eskov, 1979 – Russia, Japan, Canada
- Praestigia makarovae Marusik, Gnelitsa & Koponen, 2008 – Russia
- Praestigia pini (Holm, 1950) – Sweden, Finland, Russia, Mongolia
- Praestigia sibirica Marusik, Gnelitsa & Koponen, 2008 – Russia, USA (Alaska)
- Praestigia uralensis Marusik, Gnelitsa & Koponen, 2008 – Russia
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "Gen. Praestigia Millidge, 1954". World Spider Catalog Version 20.0. Natural History Museum Bern. 2019. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2019-06-23.
- ^ Millidge, A. F. (1954). "On a new species and genus of spider". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 7 (12): 253–256. doi:10.1080/00222935408651727.
- ^ a b Marusik, Yuri M.; Gnelitsa, Valeri A.; Koponen, Seppo (July 2008). "A Survey of Holarctic Linyphiidae (Araneae). 3. A Review of the Genus Praestigia Millidge, 1954". Arachnology. 14 (5): 213–231. doi:10.13156/arac.2008.14.5.213. ISSN 2050-9928. S2CID 130796884.