Pasilobus

Pasilobus
Female Pasilobus hupingensis[2]
P. nigrohumeralis from Indonesia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Subfamily: Cyrtarachninae s.l.
Genus: Pasilobus
Simon, 1895[1]
Type species
P. bufoninus
(Simon, 1867)
Species

14, see text

Pasilobus is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1895.[3]

Description

See also: Glossary of spider terms

Pasilobus has never been revised other than Simon's (1895) original generic description. Based on the latter, Pasilobus differs from Paraplectana by the presence of thickened lanceolate setae in the eye region. The median ocular quadrangle is subquadrate and slightly raised.[4]

The abdomen is twice as broad as long, with low tubercles. The legs are quite slender, with anterior and posterior legs longest. The patellae, tibiae and metatarsi are flattened and slightly unequal, with metatarsi shorter than tibiae.[4]

Prey capture

Females of the genus Pasilobus construct "triangular spanning-thread webs". The webs have only two sectors, making them appear triangular. Widely spaced threads with sticky drops span the three radii of these webs. One end is attached in such a way that it readily breaks free. When a prey item is caught on one of these threads, the line parts at this end and the prey hangs from the web until it is hauled up by the spider.[5]

The prey caught are almost entirely moths. Normal araneid orb webs are not effective at capturing moths, since their loose scales detach, allowing the moth to escape. Like other genera in the subfamily Cyrtarachninae s.l., Pasilobus species produce special sticky drops that adhere to moths.[6]

Some members of the subfamily (such as bolas spiders and Cyrtarachne) have been shown to produce mimics of the sex pheromones that female moths emit to attract males, and it has been speculated that Pasilobus may do this as well.[6]

Species

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

References

  1. ^ a b "Genus Pasilobus". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
  2. ^ Tanikawa, A.; Chang, Y.H. & Tso, I.M. (2006). "Identity of a Japanese spider species recorded as "Pasilobus bufoninus" (Araneae: Araneidae), with a description of the male considering the sequence of mtDNA". Acta Arachnologica. 55 (1): 45–49. doi:10.2476/asjaa.55.45.
  3. ^ Simon, E (1895). Histoire naturelle des araignées. Paris, Librairie encyclopédique de Roret. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.51973.
  4. ^ a b Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N.; Webb, P. (2022). The Araneidae of South Africa. Version 2: part 3 (Ne-U). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 24, 30. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6326991. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  5. ^ Tanikawa, Akio; Shinkai, Akira & Miyashita, Tadashi (2014). "Molecular Phylogeny of Moth-Specialized Spider Sub-Family Cyrtarachninae, which Includes Bolas Spiders". Zoological Science. 31 (11): 716–720. doi:10.2108/zs140034. PMID 25366153. S2CID 20031154.
  6. ^ a b Eberhard, W.G. (1980), "The natural history and behaviour of the bolas spider Mastophora dizzydeani sp.n. (Araneidae)" (PDF), Psyche: A Journal of Entomology, 89 (3–4): 143–169, doi:10.1155/1980/81062, retrieved 2021-01-20


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