Heptathela

Heptathela is a genus of spiders that includes the Kimura spider (Heptathela kimurai). They are trapdoor spiders of the family Liphistiidae and are found in Japan, including Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands.[1] Spiders of this genus lack venom glands.[2]

Heptathela
Heptathela kimurai
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Mesothelae
Family: Liphistiidae
Genus: Heptathela
Kishida, 1923[1]
Species

See text

Diversity[1]
20 species

Females are up to 25 mm long, males slightly smaller. Burrows have an oval shaped door which is hinged across the long diameter.[3]

Name

The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek hepta "seven", referring to the number of spinneret glands.

Species

As of January 2022, the World Spider Catalog accepted the following species:[1]

  • Heptathela aha Xu, Ono, Kuntner, Liu & Li, 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
  • Heptathela amamiensis Haupt, 1983 – Ryukyu Is.
  • Heptathela crypta Xu, Ono, Kuntner, Liu & Li, 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
  • Heptathela gayozan Xu, Ono, Kuntner, Liu & Li, 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
  • Heptathela helios Tanikawa & Miyashita, 2014 (synonym H. yaginumai Ono, 1998) – Japan
  • Heptathela higoensis Haupt, 1983 – Japan
  • Heptathela kanenoi Ono, 1996 – Ryukyu Is.
  • Heptathela kikuyai Ono, 1998 – Japan
  • Heptathela kimurai (Kishida, 1920) (type species) – Japan
  • Heptathela kojima Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
  • Heptathela kubayama Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
  • Heptathela mae Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
  • Heptathela otoha Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
  • Heptathela shuri Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
  • Heptathela sumiyo Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
  • Heptathela tokashiki Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
  • Heptathela uken Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
  • Heptathela unten Xu et al., 2019 – Ryukyu Is.
  • Heptathela yakushimaensis Ono, 1998 – Japan
  • Heptathela yanbaruensis Haupt, 1983 – Okinawa

Many of the species formerly placed in this genus have been transferred to other genera in the family Liphistiidae, including Sinothela, Songthela and Vinathela.[1]

Social reference

This is the genus of spider referenced by Vincent Price in the introduction to Alice Cooper's The Black Widow on his Welcome to my Nightmare album.

References
  1. "Gen. Heptathela Kishida, 1923". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  2. Forster, R. R. & Platnick, N. I. (1984). "A review of the archaeid spiders and their relatives, with notes on the limits of the superfamily Palpimanoidea (Arachnida, Araneae)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 178: 1–106. hdl:2246/991. Full text at "A review of the archaeid spiders and their relatives" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-10-13. (60 MB)
  3. Murphy, Frances & Murphy, John (2000). An Introduction to the Spiders of South East Asia. Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Nature Society. ISBN 978-983-9681-17-8.
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