Hippasa
Hippasa is a genus of spiders in the wolf spider family Lycosidae, first described by Eugène Simon in 1885.
Distribution
Hippasa species are distributed across Africa and Asia.
Life style
Hippasa species prefer low, grassy vegetation with open spaces.
They construct an agelenid-like funnel web between low vegetation or between roots at ground level. The web consists of a densely woven sheet with a funnel retreat leading into the ground or dense vegetation. Their webs can be seen early in the morning.
Juveniles can be present in high densities, covering grass with webs.
Description
The genus can be recognized by the two-segmented posterior pair of spinnerets, with the basal segment especially elongated, and by white spots on the abdomen. The body is covered with long setae. The carapace is usually dark with lateral margins and bands, and the fovea has radiating striae. The legs are relatively long and usually banded.
The epigyne is thickly covered with white setae. The sternum is usually pale with a dark median stripe.
Taxonomy
The genus was revised by Alderweireldt and Jocqué in 2005.
Species
, this genus includes 27 species:Hippasa affinis Lessert, 1933 – AngolaHippasa agelenoides – Pakistan, India, Myanmar Hippasa albopunctata Thorell, 1899 – Cameroon, Ivory CoastHippasa australis Lawrence, 1927 – AfricaHippasa brechti Alderweireldt & Jocqué, 2005 – Ivory Coast, TogoHippasa decemnotata Simon, 1909 – West AfricaHippasa deserticola Simon, 1889 – Egypt to Bangladesh Hippasa elienae Alderweireldt & Jocqué, 2005 – Kenya, Tanzania, South AfricaHippasa flavicoma Caporiacco, 1935 – PakistanHippasa funerea Lessert, 1925 – Botswana, Lesotho, South AfricaHippasa himalayensis Gravely, 1924 – India, PakistanHippasa holmerae Thorell, 1895 – AsiaHippasa innesi Simon, 1889 – EgyptHippasa lamtoensis Dresco, 1981 – Ivory CoastHippasa lingxianensis Yin & Wang, 1980 – China, JapanHippasa loundesi Gravely, 1924 – IndiaHippasa lycosina Pocock, 1900 – China, Laos, IndiaHippasa madraspatana Gravely, 1924 – IndiaHippasa marginata Roewer, 1960 – CameroonHippasa modog Wang, Li, Marusik & Zhang, 2026 – ChinaHippasa olivacea – Myanmar, IndiaHippasa pantherina Pocock, 1899 – Southern AsiaHippasa partita – AfricaHippasa pulmoniformis Wang, Li, Marusik & Zhang, 2026 – China, VietnamHippasa simoni – MyanmarHippasa thailandica Wang, Li, Marusik & Zhang, 2026 – ThailandHippasa valiveruensis Patel & Reddy, 1993 – India