Molearachne

Molearachne
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Lycosidae
Genus: Molearachne
Sherwood, Henrard, Logunov & Fowler, 2023[2]
Species:
M. sanctaehelenae
Binomial name
Molearachne sanctaehelenae
Sherwood, Henrard, Logunov & Fowler, 2023[1]

Molearachne is a monotypic genus of spiders in the family Lycosidae containing the single species, Molearachne sanctaehelenae.[1]

Distribution

Molearachne sanctaehelenae is endemic to St. Helena, where it has been found in Prosperous Bay Plain and Bradleys.[1][2]

Lifestyle

This species constructs mounds out of dry earth, and may interconnect several of these using web tunnels. They spend the night under one of these mounds.[2]

Etymology

The genus name is a combination of mole and Ancient Greek ἀράχνη ("spider"), referring to both moles and these spiders creating earth mounds.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Gen. Molearachne Sherwood, Henrard, Logunov & Fowler, 2023". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  2. ^ a b c d Sherwood, D.; Henrard, A.; Logunov, D. V.; Fowler, L. (2023). "Saint Helenian wolf spiders, with description of two new genera and three new species (Araneae: Lycosidae)". Arachnology. 19: 816–851. doi:10.13156/arac.2023.19.5.816.