Echemus (spider)

Echemus
E. angustifrons from Austria
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Gnaphosidae
Genus: Echemus
Simon, 1878[1]
Type species
E. angustifrons
(Westring, 1861)
Species

22, see text

Synonyms[1]
  • Boreoechemus Lohmander, 1942[2]

Echemus is a genus of ground spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1878.[3]

Description

Spiders of the genus Echemus have a total length of 5.7 mm. The carapace is longer than wide and yellowish brown, with slightly darker chelicerae. The anterior row of eyes is strongly procurved, with medians light in colour, round, and less than a diameter apart. The laterals are light in colour, oval, slightly smaller than the medians, and very close to them.[4]

The posterior row is very strongly procurved, with medians subangular and close together, distant their long diameter from the anterior medians. The posterior medians are larger than the posterior laterals, which are subequal to the anterior laterals, and about their own diameter from the posterior medians.[4]

The abdomen is testaceous and slightly infuscated dorsally. The inferior spinnerets are short, cylindrical, and nearly their own length apart. The first pair of legs is considerably darker and redder distally.[4]

Species

As of September 2025, this genus includes 23 species:[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Gen. Echemus Simon, 1878". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
  2. ^ Tullgren, A. (1946). Svenska spindelfauna: 3. Egentliga spindlar. Araneae. Fam. 5-7. Clubionidae, Zoridae och Gnaphosidae. Entomologiska Föreningen, Stockholm. p. 111.
  3. ^ Simon, E. (1878). Les arachnides de France.
  4. ^ a b c Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 2 (E-S). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 7. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197672. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.