Praestigia
Genus of spiders
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Praestigia is a genus of sheet weavers that was first described by Alfred Frank Millidge in 1954.[2]
| Praestigia | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Linyphiidae |
| Genus: | Praestigia Millidge, 1954[1] |
| Type species | |
| P. duffeyi Millidge, 1954 | |
| Species | |
|
8, see text | |
The defining characteristic of Praestigia is a projection issuing from the ocular region in males, which varies in form depending on the species, and bears a cap at its distal end. The cap is composed of a series of interconnected fibers glued to the projection with a waxy substance. The cap itself is easily dislodged and lost, and where it originates from is unclear.[3]
The generic name is a combination of Latin prae, meaning "in front" or "before" and Greek stigios, meaning "an awl," a reference to the above-described projection.[3]
Species
As of May 2019[update] it contains eight species:[1]
- Praestigia duffeyi Millidge, 1954 (type) – Europe
- Praestigia eskovi Marusik, Gnelitsa & Koponen, 2008 – Russia
- Praestigia groenlandica Holm, 1967 – Canada, Greenland
- Praestigia kulczynskii Eskov, 1979 – Russia, Japan, Canada
- Praestigia makarovae Marusik, Gnelitsa & Koponen, 2008 – Russia
- Praestigia pini (Holm, 1950) – Sweden, Finland, Russia, Mongolia
- Praestigia sibirica Marusik, Gnelitsa & Koponen, 2008 – Russia, USA (Alaska)
- Praestigia uralensis Marusik, Gnelitsa & Koponen, 2008 – Russia