Nyctimus (spider)

Nyctimus
N. bistriatus preying on ant
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Thomisidae
Genus: Nyctimus
Thorell, 1877[1]
Type species
N. bistriatus Thorell, 1877
Species
Synonyms[1]
  • Zametopias

Nyctimus is a genus of crab spiders first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1877,[2] ẃith two described species from South Africa and Indonesia.[1]

Life style

The life style of Nyctimus species remains unknown.[3]

Description

These are small spiders, known only from female specimens, which measure 4 mm in length. The cephalothorax is reddish-black in color and covered with small granules, while the mouthparts and sternum are smooth.[3]

The abdomen is wider than it is long and has few scattered setae. The dorsal surface of the abdomen is dark with a median band, and the middle portion is decorated with white spots on both sides. The ventral surface is testaceous in color.[3]

Species

As of October 2025, this genus includes two species:[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Gen. Nyctimus Thorell, 1877". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  2. ^ Thorell, T. (1877). "Studi sui Ragni Malesi e Papuani. I. Ragni di Selebes raccolti nel 1874 dal Dott. O. Beccari". Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova. 10: 341–637.
  3. ^ a b c Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Thomisidae of South Africa. Part 2 My-R. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 14. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513276. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

"Nyctimus". The Encyclopedia of Life.