Brettus

Brettus is a genus of jumping spiders. Its six described species are found in southern Asia from India to China and Sulawesi, with a single species endemic to Madagascar.

Brettus
Brettus sp. in Kerala, India
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Salticidae
Subfamily: Spartaeinae
Genus: Brettus
Thorell, 1895
Type species
Brettus cingulatus
Thorell, 1895
Species

See text

Diversity
6 species

Two species in this genus, B. celebensis and B. madagascarensis, were originally described as members of the genus Macopaeus.[1]

According to Thorell, the genus name is taken from Greek mythology. Brettos (Βρεττος) was a son of Heracles[2] (appears at Stephanus of Byzantium).

Diet and behaviour

At least 2 species, Brettus cingulatus and Brettus adonis, feed on other spiders. Taking advantage of their ability to not adhere to any kind of spider silk, they practise aggressive mimicry and pluck upon the webs of web-building spiders to lure them over to the Brettus at the edge of the web, where they capture/stab their victim.[3] These two spider species also prefer web-building spiders to insects as prey. They are in these regards similar to the other Spartaeinae jumping spiders of genera Portia, Cyrba and Gelotia.[4]

Species

Footnotes
  1. World Spider Catalog
  2. Greek Mythology Index: Brettus
  3. Jackson, Robert R.; Hallas, Susan E. A. (1986-10-01). "Predatory versatility and intraspecific interactions of spartaeine jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae): Brettus adonis, B. cingulatus, Cyrba algerina, and Phaeacius sp. indet". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 13 (4): 491–520. doi:10.1080/03014223.1986.10422979. ISSN 0301-4223.
  4. Jackson, Robert R. (2000-01-01). "Prey preferences and visual discrimination ability of Brettus, Cocalus and Cyrba, araneophagic jumping spiders (Araneae: Salticidae) from Australia, Kenya and Sri Lanka". New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 27 (1): 29–39. doi:10.1080/03014223.2000.9518206. ISSN 0301-4223.

References
  • Platnick, Norman I. (2009): The world spider catalog, version 9.5. American Museum of Natural History.

Further reading
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