Scaffold web spider

Male Nesticus species from Northern California

The family of cave spiders ( Nesticidae ) include 203 species in 9 genera ( Platnick, 2005) worldwide.

Appearance and way of life

The local cave spider species are very small (body length less than 1 mm) to medium sized (5.5 mm) troglophile animals Spacenets in rock crevices, caves, tunnels and basements build ( Heimer et al., 1991 and Bellmann, 1997). They are pale yellow with black spots. The species are very similar and are just under a good light microscope and may be distinguished by genitalmorphologische investigation.

According to Sauer et al. (1985 ) they are originally native to the interstitial system of screes and colonize natural caves and crevices in about as far as small snails. Very occasionally they are also found in the vicinity of these habitats ( Hänggi et al., 1995). Cellars are only compensatory habitats. You need darkness and high humidity. The animals live in loose societies belly up in their wide-meshed nets are stretched by the downward tentacles. The females weave a loose Eiballen they carry around attached to the spinnerets with it.

Native species

In Central Europe, only three species of the genus Nesticus are shown ( view et al, 2004. )

  • Nesticus cellulanus ( Clerck, 1757) - relatively rare, but locally numerous throughout the Holarctic,
  • Nesticus eremita Simon, 1879 - rare Europe,
  • Nesticus idriacus Roewer, 1931 - so far detected only in Austria and Italy.

For more genres

After Platnick, 2005.

  • Aituaria Esyunin & Efimik, 1998 Russia and Georgia
  • Canarionesticus quadridentatus Wunderlich, 1992 - Canary Islands
  • Carpathonesticus Lehtinen & Saaristo, 1980 - Italy, the Balkans, east to Georgia
  • Cyclocarcina Komatsu, 1942 - Japan
  • Eidmannella Roewer, 1935 - USA, Mexico
  • Gaucelmus Keyserling, 1884 - Caribbean, Central America, North America
  • Nesticella Lehtinen & Saaristo, 1980 - Africa, Asia, Australia
  • Nesticus Thorell 1869 - Holarctic
  • Typhlonesticus Kulczynski, 1914 Typhlonesticus absoloni ( Kratochvil, 1933) - Montenegro
Spider web Carl Alexander Clerck Middle America (region) Tamerlan Thorell
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