Ewok (spider)

Ewok
E. christineae
E. aymara
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
Family: Theraphosidae
Genus: Ewok
Peñaherrera-R., Sherwood, Gabriel, León-E., Rollard, Leguin, Brescovit & Lucas, 2025[1]
Type species
Thrixopelma christineae
Sherwood & Gabriel, 2024
Species

8, see text

Ewok is a genus of spiders in the family Theraphosidae.[2]

Distribution

The genus Ewok is endemic to Peru.[2]

Etymology

The genus is named after the Ewoks, which are also small and furry. According to the original authors, »just as the Ewok language is difficult to understand, the taxonomy of these spiders is similarly complex and challenging«.[1]

Species

As of January 2026, this genus includes eight species:[2]

  • Ewok aycaramba Sherwood, Gabriel, Peñaherrera-R., León-E., Rollard, Leguin, Brescovit & Lucas, 2025Peru
  • Ewok aymara (Chamberlin, 1916) – Peru
  • Ewok christineae (Sherwood & Gabriel, 2024) – Peru
  • Ewok cyaneolus (Schmidt, Friebolin & Friebolin, 2005) – Peru
  • Ewok eliseanneae (Sherwood & Gabriel, 2024) – Peru
  • Ewok kainae Gabriel, Sherwood, Peñaherrera-R., León-E., Rollard, Leguin, Brescovit & Lucas, 2025 – Peru
  • Ewok kimraykawsaki (Signorotto, Ferretti, Chaparro, Ochoa & West, 2025) – Peru
  • Ewok pruriens (Schmidt, 1998) – Peru, not Chile

References

  1. ^ a b Sherwood, D.; Gabriel, R.; Peñaherrera-R., P.; León-E., R. J.; Rollard, C.; Leguin, E.-A.; Brescovit, A. D.; Lucas, S. M. (2025). "On the identity of some taxa in the tarantula tribe Hapalopini, with two synonymies, and description of four new genera and three new species (Araneae: Theraphosidae)". ZooNova. 46: 1–23. doi:10.5281/zenodo.17612014.
  2. ^ a b c "Gen. Ewok Peñaherrera-R., Sherwood, Gabriel, León-E., Rollard, Leguin, Brescovit & Lucas, 2025". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2026-01-22.