Prodidomus
Prodidomus is a genus of long-spinneret ground spiders that was first described by Nicholas Marcellus Hentz in 1847.
Distribution
Spiders in this genus are found in Africa, Europe, Oceania, Asia, South America, the United States, on the Greater Antilles, and Saint Helena.
Description
Prodidomus are small spiders with a total length of males 1.9–4.3 mm and females 1.8–5.0 mm.
Carapace broadly oval, frontally straight, weakly covered with grey setae or bare. Longitudinal fovea absent or weak. Eight eyes with anterior row straight or weakly recurved and posterior row strongly procurved. Four eyes of each side virtually contiguous, forming triangle with posterior lateral eyes largest. Anterior median eyes circular and dark, while posterior median eyes are separated by their long diameter or less. Clypeus low, shorter than anterior lateral eyes diameter, curved downwards. Chelicerae widely divergent.
Abdomen pale, with or without scattered, short, recumbent, grey setae. Anterior lateral spinnerets 10–20% of abdominal length, contiguous or slightly separated, with long piriform gland spigots. Posterior median eyes small while posterior lateral eyes are greatly enlarged and canoe-shaped. Legs laterigrade with leg formula 4123 and sparse setae with few weak spines.
Species
it contains 54 species:Prodidomus amaranthinus – MediterraneanProdidomus aurantiacus Simon, 1890 – YemenProdidomus beattyi Platnick, 1977 – Australia Prodidomus bendee Platnick & Baehr, 2006 – Australia Prodidomus bicolor Denis, 1957 – SudanProdidomus birmanicus Thorell, 1897 – MyanmarProdidomus bryantae Alayón, 1995 – CubaProdidomus capensis Purcell, 1904 – South AfricaProdidomus chaperi – IndiaProdidomus dalmasi Berland, 1920 – KenyaProdidomus djibutensis Dalmas, 1919 – SomaliaProdidomus domesticus Lessert, 1938 – DR CongoProdidomus duffeyi Cooke, 1964 – Ascension IslandProdidomus flavidus – AlgeriaProdidomus flavipes Lawrence, 1952 – South AfricaProdidomus flavus Platnick & Baehr, 2006 – Australia Prodidomus geniculosus Dalmas, 1919 – TunisiaProdidomus granulosus Cooke, 1964 – RwandaProdidomus inexpectatus Zamani, Chatzaki, Esyunin & Marusik, 2021 – IranProdidomus kimberley Platnick & Baehr, 2006 – Australia Prodidomus lampeli Cooke, 1964 – EthiopiaProdidomus latebricola Cooke, 1964 – TanzaniaProdidomus longiventris – PhilippinesProdidomus margala Platnick, 1976 – PakistanProdidomus maximus Lessert, 1936 – MozambiqueProdidomus nigellus Simon, 1890 – YemenProdidomus nigricaudus Simon, 1893 – VenezuelaProdidomus opacithorax Simon, 1893 – VenezuelaProdidomus palkai Cooke, 1972 – IndiaProdidomus papavanasanemensis Cooke, 1972 – IndiaProdidomus purpurascens Purcell, 1904 – South AfricaProdidomus purpureus Simon, 1907 – Guinea-BissauProdidomus redikorzevi Spassky, 1940 – Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Iran, Kazakhstan, TurkmenistanProdidomus reticulatus Lawrence, 1927 – NamibiaProdidomus revocatus Cooke, 1964 – MauritiusProdidomus robustus Dalmas, 1919 – EthiopiaProdidomus rodolphianus Dalmas, 1919 – KenyaProdidomus rollasoni Cooke, 1964 – LibyaProdidomus rufus Hentz, 1847 – Native probably to Africa, Mediterranean, Israel, Iraq. Introduced to USA, Cuba, Chile, Argentina, St. Helena, China, Japan, New Caledonia Prodidomus saharanpurensis – IndiaProdidomus sampeyae Platnick & Baehr, 2006 – Australia Prodidomus seemani Platnick & Baehr, 2006 – Australia Prodidomus simoni Dalmas, 1919 – South AfricaProdidomus singulus Suman, 1967 – HawaiiProdidomus sirohi Platnick, 1976 – IndiaProdidomus stella – SeychellesProdidomus tigrinus Dalmas, 1919 – Sierra LeoneProdidomus tirumalai Cooke, 1972 – IndiaProdidomus trihelicoides Seropian, Bulbulashvili, Makharadze & Baznikin, 2024 – GeorgiaProdidomus venkateswarai Cooke, 1972 – IndiaProdidomus watongwensis Cooke, 1964 – TanzaniaProdidomus woodleigh Platnick & Baehr, 2006 – Australia Prodidomus wunderlichi Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 – ThailandProdidomus yorke Platnick & Baehr, 2006 – Australia