Aliatypus
| Aliatypus | |
|---|---|
| Female A. torridus | |
| A. thompsoni | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Antrodiaetidae |
| Genus: | Aliatypus Smith, 1908[1] |
| Type species | |
| A. californicus (Banks, 1896)
| |
| Species | |
|
14, see text | |
Aliatypus is a genus of North American folding trapdoor spiders first described by Chas. Piper Smith in 1908.[2] They resemble members of Ctenizidae in morphology and behavior, but this is due to convergent evolution rather than direct relation.[3] They are most closely related to members of Antrodiaetus, which build collar doors. It is likely that the shift from using collar doors to using trapdoors is what allowed them to survive in hot, dry conditions where their closest relatives could not.[4]
Often found in roadside banks or ravines, they build a burrow perpendicular to the surface with a wafer-like trapdoor entrance to catch prey. Burrows are often clustered together, sometimes quite densely in more favorable positions.[4]
They are native to the western United States,[3] where the complex landscape creates pockets of isolated species limited to small regions. As one of the most abundant genera of trapdoor spiders in California, it is argued that their sedentary lifestyle and limited dispersal could benefit studies in the biogeography of California and the surrounding regions.[5]
Species
As of January 2026, this genus includes fourteen species:[1]
- Aliatypus aquilonius Coyle, 1975 – United States
- Aliatypus californicus (Banks, 1896) – United States
- Aliatypus coylei Hedin & Carlson, 2011 – United States
- Aliatypus erebus Coyle, 1975 – United States
- Aliatypus gnomus Coyle, 1975 – United States
- Aliatypus gulosus Coyle, 1975 – United States
- Aliatypus isolatus Coyle, 1975 – United States
- Aliatypus janus Coyle, 1975 – United States
- Aliatypus plutonis Coyle, 1975 – United States
- Aliatypus roxxiae Satler & Hedin, 2013 – United States
- Aliatypus starretti Satler & Hedin, 2013 – United States
- Aliatypus thompsoni Coyle, 1975 – United States
- Aliatypus torridus Coyle, 1975 – United States
- Aliatypus trophonius Coyle, 1975 – United States
References
- ^ a b "Gen. Smith, 1908". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
- ^ Smith, C. P. (1908). "A preliminary study of the Araneae Theraphosidae of California". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 1 (4): 207–236. doi:10.1093/aesa/1.4.207.
- ^ a b Coyle, F. A. (1974). "Systematics of the trapdoor spider genus Aliatypus (Araneae: Antrodiaetidae)". Psyche: A Journal of Entomology. 81 (3–4): 431–500. doi:10.1155/1974/69634.
- ^ a b Coyle, F.A.; W.R., Icenogle (1994). "Natural history of the California trapdoor spider genus Aliatypus (Araneae, Antrodiaetidae)" (PDF). Journal of Arachnology. 22: 225–255.
- ^ Satler J, J Starrett; C Hayashi, M Hedin. (2011-09-26). "Inferring species trees from gene trees in a radiation of California trapdoor spiders (Araneae, Antrodiaetidae, Aliatypus)". PLOS ONE. 6 (9) e25355. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...625355S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0025355. PMC 3180454. PMID 21966507.
Further reading
- Coyle, F. A. (1971). "Systematics and natural history of the mygalomorph spider genus Antrodiaetus and related genera (Araneae: Antrodiaetidae)". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. 141: 269–402.
- Satler, J. D.; Carstens, B. C.; Hedin, M. (2013). "Multilocus species delimitation in a complex of morphologically conserved trapdoor spiders (Mygalomorphae, Antrodiaetidae, Aliatypus)". Systematic Biology. 62 (6): 805–823. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syt041. PMID 23771888.
External links