Spelaeus

Spelaeus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Linyphiidae
Genus: Spelaeus
Irfan, Zhang & Peng, 2025[2]
Species:
S. cicatrix
Binomial name
Spelaeus cicatrix
Irfan, Zhang & Peng, 2025[1]

Spelaeus is a monotypic genus of spiders in the family Linyphiidae containing the single species, Spelaeus cicatrix.[1]

Distribution

Spelaeus cicatrix has only been recorded from Niujiao Cave near Tongren City, Guizhou Province, China.[1][2]

Etymology

The genus name is from Latin spelaeum "cave", as the species was found in Niujiao Cave.[2]

The specific name means "scar" in Latin, referring to scars found at the anterior half of the female epigyne. These scars were found in the majority of females. The authors suggest that these might be a result of the mating process.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Gen. Spelaeus Irfan, Zhang & Peng, 2025". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  2. ^ a b c d Irfan, M.; Zhou, G. C.; Peng, X. J.; Zhang, Z. S. (2025). "Survey of Linyphiidae spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from some oriental regions of China". Megataxa. 15: 1–248. doi:10.11646/megataxa.15.1.1.