Acantharachne

Acantharachne is a genus of African orb-weaver spiders first described by Albert Tullgren in 1910.

Taxonomy

The genus Acantharachne was erected by Albert Tullgren in 1910 for the species Acantharachne cornuta. There was already a genus of echinoderms with a name differing only in the last letter, Acantharachna, so in 1929, Embrik Strand put forward a replacement name, Acantharanea. However, as the spelling was different, even if only by one letter, replacement was unnecessary.

Etymology

The genus name is a combination of Latin acanthus "thorn, spine" and Ancient Greek arachne "spider".

Species

, this genus includes eight species:Acantharachne cornuta Tullgren, 1910 – TanzaniaAcantharachne giltayi Lessert, 1938 – DR Congo, MadagascarAcantharachne lesserti Giltay, 1930 – CongoAcantharachne madecassa Emerit, 2000 – MadagascarAcantharachne milloti Emerit, 2000 – MadagascarAcantharachne psyche Strand, 1913 – Central AfricaAcantharachne regalis Hirst, 1926 – Cameroon, CongoAcantharachne seydeli Giltay, 1935 – DR Congo, South Africa