Pisenor
| Pisenor | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Barychelidae |
| Genus: | Pisenor Simon, 1889[1] |
| Type species | |
| P. notius Simon, 1889
| |
| Species | |
|
9, see text | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Pisenor is a genus of mygalomorph spiders in the family Barychelidae. The genus is known from nine species endemic to Africa, distributed from Zimbabwe to the southern parts of Ethiopia.[3]
It was first described by Eugène Simon in 1889.[4]
Description
Pisenor spiders have body sizes ranging from 15–25 mm. Females are usually 'earth'-colored, varying from yellowish grey to reddish brown to greyish black, with the opisthosoma bearing pale spots or patches.[3]
The anterior lateral eyes are positioned close to the clypeal edge. The eyes are arranged in a group that is wider behind than in front, with the eye tubercle being distinct. A rastellum is absent, and the fovea is recurved. There are two pairs of spinnerets, and the metatarsal preening comb is absent. Males possess a tibial spur on leg I, while females have one row of teeth on the paired claws and males have two rows.[3]
Behavior and ecology
Pisenor species are ground-living burrow dwellers. Very little is known about their behavior, with the only published information being a note by Benoit (1966) who collected P. notius from a burrow with a trapdoor covered by bits of leaves.[3]
Species
As of September 2025 it contains nine species:[1]
- Pisenor arcturus (Tucker, 1917) – Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa
- Pisenor leleupi (Benoit, 1965) – Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Pisenor lepidus (Gerstäcker, 1873) – Tanzania
- Pisenor macequece (Tucker, 1920) – Mozambique
- Pisenor notius Simon, 1889 (type) – Ethiopia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa
- Pisenor plicatus (Benoit, 1965) – Rwanda
- Pisenor selindanus (Benoit, 1965) – Zimbabwe
- Pisenor tenuistylus (Benoit, 1965) – Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Pisenor upembanus (Roewer, 1953) – Democratic Republic of the Congo
References
- ^ a b c "Gen. Pisenor Simon, 1889". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
- ^ Raven, R. J. (1985). "The spider infraorder Mygalomorphae (Araneae): Cladistics and systematics". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 182: 112.
- ^ a b c d Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). "South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide: The Barychelidae of South Africa". Version 1: 1–9. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6033496. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ Simon, E. (1889). "Descriptions d'espèces africaines nouvelles de la famille des Aviculariidae". Actes de la Société Linnéenne de Bordeaux. 42: 405–415.