Hickmania

Hickmania is a monotypic genus of Australian cribellate araneomorph spiders in the family Austrochilidae, containing only the Tasmanian cave spider (Hickmania troglodytes).[1] It was first described by Willis J. Gertsch in 1958,[2] and has been found only in Tasmania. It is the last of an old Gondwanan lineage, long since separated from its closest relatives in South America.[3] It is an icon species for faunal conservation in Tasmania, and is named in honor of a professor at the University of Tasmania who specialized in spiders. The species name is derived from the Ancient Greek τρωγλοδύτης (troglodytes), meaning "cave-dweller".

Tasmanian cave spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Austrochilidae
Genus: Hickmania
Gertsch, 1958[1]
Species:
H. troglodytes
Binomial name
Hickmania troglodytes
(Higgins & Petterd, 1883)[1]

Description

Tasmanian cave spiders have red to brown carapaces and duller, darker brown opisthosomae. They can grow up to 1.3 to 2 centimetres (0.51 to 0.79 in) long, and can have a legspan of up to 18 centimetres (7.1 in). These primitive spiders use book lungs to breathe, seen as four light patches beneath the abdomen.[3]

Males are smaller than females, and have a distinct kink-like curve near the end of each second leg used to hold the female's head while mating.[4]

Tasmanian cave spiders are widely distributed throughout Tasmania, found in many dark, cool areas, including underground drainage and cave systems, the underside of bridges, and inside hollow logs. They build sheet webs up to 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) in diameter, and hang beneath it waiting for prey to fly or jump into their web.[3] They have an unusually long lifetime for araneomorph spiders, sometimes living several decades.

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References
  1. "Gen. Hickmania Gertsch, 1958". World Spider Catalog Version 20.0. Natural History Museum Bern. 2019. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  2. Gertsch, W. J. (1958). "The spider family Hypochilidae". American Museum Novitates. 1912: 1–28.
  3. Gray, Dr. Mike (2019-03-18). "Tasmanian Cave Spider". Australian Museum. Retrieved 2019-05-16.
  4. Doran, N.E.; Richardson, A.M.M.; Swain, R. (2001). "The reproductive behaviour of Hickmania troglodytes, the Tasmanian cave spider (Araneae, Austrochilidae)". Journal of Zoology. 253: 405–418. doi:10.1017/s0952836901000371.
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