Acanthogonatus centralis

Acanthogonatus centralis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Mygalomorphae
Family: Nemesiidae
Genus: Acanthogonatus
Species: A. centralis
Binomial name
Acanthogonatus centralis
Goloboff, 1995

Acanthogonatus centralis is a mygalomorph spider of Argentina, its name referring to its distribution, being one of the most common mygalomorphs in central Argentina.[1] Females are most similar to those of A. parana, are distinguished by the widened fundus of the spermathecae. Males, on the other hand, are recognized by the smooth, keelless bulb, in combination with a well-developed tibial apophysis.

Description

Distribution

It is a very common species in Sierras Centrales, Argentina (southern Buenos Aires Province, western Córdoba Province, San Luis Province and San Juan Province - Humid subtropical climate).

Behaviour

A. centralis is found mostly in hilly areas of central Argentina. The species is easily found under stones, where they construct a dense silk tube (which usually also implies a short burrow). They occasionally were collected in burrows dug in the earth between stones; the burrows were closed with debris. Adult males are capable of constructing tunnel-webs, but they are quite different from those of juveniles and females, lacking the short burrow.

Male courtship involves scratching and beating the ground. After contacting female silk, males have been observed to stretch the web. Males manipulate their pedipalps and spasmodically beat their legs over the female. Females remain active during copulation by making body jerks and struggling.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Goloboff, Pablo A. "A revision of the South American spiders of the family Nemesiidae (Araneae, Mygalomorphae). Part 1, Species from Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. Bulletin of the AMNH; no. 224." (1995).
  2. Ferretti, Nelson; Pompozzi, Gabriel; Pérez-Miles, Fernando (2011). "Sexual behavior of Acanthogonatus centralis (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Nemesiidae) from Argentina, with some notes on their burrows". Journal of Arachnology. 39 (3): 533–536. doi:10.1636/Hi09-72.1. ISSN 0161-8202.

Further reading

External links


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