Draculoides bramstokeri
Draculoides bramstokeri is a small, troglobite, Australian arachnid. Often mistaken for a spider, D. bramstokeri is a schizomid — a small, soil-dwelling invertebrate that walks on six legs and uses two modified front legs as feelers. It uses large fang-like pedipalps, or pincers, to grasp invertebrate prey and crunch it into pieces before sucking out the juices. Named for this method of dispatching victims and after Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula.
| Draculoides bramstokeri | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Schizomida |
| Family: | Hubbardiidae |
| Genus: | Draculoides |
| Species: | D. bramstokeri |
| Binomial name | |
| Draculoides bramstokeri Harvey & Humphreys, 1995 | |
The species is light yellow or brown, 5 mm long and known to inhabit six caves on Barrow Island and two on the North West Cape in Western Australia. It is threatened by pollution and damage to caves and is vulnerable to extinction. Draculoides bramstokeri was first described in 1995.[1]
The other three described species of Draculoides also occur in Australia.[2][3]
References
- Draculoides bramstokeri Harvey, M.S. & Humphreys, W.F. 1995. Notes on the genus Draculoides Harvey (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae), with the description of a new troglobitic species. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 52: 183–189 [185].
- "Draculoides bramstokeri". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- "tamu.edu Hubbardiidae". Archived from the original on 2007-11-11. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
- Burbidge, Andrew A (2004). "9. Invertebrates". Threatened animals of Western Australia. Department of Conservation and Land Management. p. 151. ISBN 0-7307-5549-5.
The North West Cape Karst Management Advisory Committee coordinates the conservation of threatened animals on the North West Cape peninsula.
- Department of the Environment and Water Resources. "Draculoides bramstokeri Harvey & Humphreys, 1995". Australian faunal Directory. Australian Government. Archived from the original on 2012-11-27. Retrieved 2007-04-01.