Oxytate
The genus Oxytate, commonly known as grass crab spiders, comprises a homogenous group of nocturnal crab spiders. The complete mitochondrial genome of the type species O. striatipes was determined in 2014.
Distribution
Members of this genus are native to Asia, Western Australia, East, Central and southern Africa.Description
Although they do not construct webs, both sexes possess a silk apparatus. A study of the type species, O. striatipes, revealed that they possess a simpler and more primitive spigot system than other members of the family, as even the females possess neither tubuliform glands for cocoon production, nor triad spigots for web-building. Males and females do, however, have three types of silk gland, which are classified as ampullate, pyriform and aciniform.Four ampullate glands are connected to the anterior spinnerets, while eight minor ampullate glands are connected to the median spinnerets. The pyriform glands are connected to the anterior spinnerets. The aciniform glands are connected to the median and posterior spinnerets.
Green crab spiders help honeybee and plants interact. Oxytate has an ability to reflect UV lights, which makes flowers more attractive to honeybees. Honeybees are attracted and captured in a trap of crab spiders.
Habits
Like other crab spiders, they are masters of ambush and disguise. They stalk their prey at night, from an ambush position on a grass stem or from the underside of a leaf, and are difficult to spot due to their camouflage. They can sense the vibrations caused by invertebrates moving on the leaf's upper side, and quickly pounce on the victim. While in ambush on twigs or grass, the short hind legs hold onto the stem, while the long anterior legs are stretched forward. Their bite is not harmful to humans, but can possibly cause an allergic reaction.Species
, this genus includes thirty species:- Oxytate argenteooculata – DR Congo, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini
- Oxytate attenuata – Myanmar
- Oxytate bhutanica Ono, 2001 – Bhutan, China
- Oxytate bicornis K. Liu, J. Liu & Xu, 2017 – China
- Oxytate capitulata Tang & Li, 2009 – China
- Oxytate chlorion – India
- Oxytate clavulata Tang, Yin & Peng, 2008 – China
- Oxytate concolor – Ethiopia, South Africa, Lesotho
- Oxytate elongata – India
- Oxytate forcipata Zhang & Yin, 1998 – China
- Oxytate greenae – India
- Oxytate guangxiensis He & Hu, 1999 – China
- Oxytate hoshizuna Ono, 1978 – China, Japan
- Oxytate isolata – Western Australia
- Oxytate jannonei – Ethiopia
- Oxytate kanishkai – India
- Oxytate leruthi – Ivory Coast, Ghana, DR Congo, Malawi, South Africa
- Oxytate lobia Lee, Yoo & Kim, 2021 – Korea
- Oxytate mucunica Liu, 2022 – China
- Oxytate multa Tang & Li, 2010 – China
- Oxytate palmata K. Liu, J. Liu & Xu, 2017 – China
- Oxytate parallela – China, Korea
- Oxytate phaenopomatiformis – Tanzania
- Oxytate placentiformis Wang, Chen & Zhang, 2012 – China
- Oxytate ribes – Ivory Coast, South Africa
- Oxytate sangangensis Tang, Bao, Yin & Kim, 1999 – China
- Oxytate striatipes Ludwig [Carl Christian Koch|L. Koch], 1878 – Russia, China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan
- Oxytate subvirens – India, Sri Lanka
- Oxytate taprobane Benjamin, 2001 – Sri Lanka
- Oxytate virens – Vietnam, Singapore