Parasteatoda
Parasteatoda is a genus of comb-footed spiders that was first described by Allan Frost Archer in 1946.
Name
The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek "para-", meaning "near" or "next to", and the theridiid genus Steatoda.The Japanese name for this genus is O-himegumo zoku.
Description
Parasteatoda species have a characteristic teardrop-shaped abdomen, with the anterior section much higher than the carapace and the spinnerets pointed downwards. The abdomen's colouration is highly variable, both between and often within species. They have slight sexual dimorphism; males are visually similar to females, although slightly smaller.The carapace is oval. The stridulating apparatus of the male is present as a partial lunate plate on either side of the pedicel. The abdomen is nearly spherical, usually with a small posterior projection.
The basic colour ranges from greyish brown to blackish brown, while some are bright orange, with a broad, longitudinal cardiac pattern and some transverse spots. The leg formula is 1243 in males and 1423 in females.
Species
It is mostly an Old World genus, with many species found in Asia and New Guinea, though the distribution reaches into Europe. A few species originate from the New World, but many have been introduced, and they are becoming more widespread in the Americas and Europe.Species
, this genus includes 42 species and one subspecies:Parasteatoda aequipeiformis Yang, Irfan & Peng, 2019 – ChinaParasteatoda angulithorax – Russia, China, Korea, JapanParasteatoda asiatica – China, Taiwan, Korea, JapanParasteatoda camura – China, Philippines, Indonesia, Solomon IslandsParasteatoda celsabdomina – India, China, Thailand, LaosParasteatoda cingulata – China, Thailand?Parasteatoda corrugata Yoshida, 2016 – JapanParasteatoda culicivora – China, Taiwan, Korea, JapanParasteatoda daliensis – China, LaosParasteatoda decorata – Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia Parasteatoda ducta – Taiwan, China Parasteatoda galeiforma – ChinaParasteatoda gui – ChinaParasteatoda hammeni – Indonesia Parasteatoda hatsushibai Yoshida, 2009 – JapanParasteatoda jinghongensis – ChinaParasteatoda kaindi – Papua New GuineaParasteatoda kentingensis Yoshida, 2015 – TaiwanParasteatoda kompirensis – India, China, Korea, JapanParasteatoda lanyuensis – TaiwanParasteatoda longiducta – ChinaParasteatoda lunata – Europe, Turkey, Israel, Caucasus, Russia, Iran. Introduced to South AfricaParasteatoda merapiensis Yoshida & Takasuka, 2011 – Indonesia Parasteatoda nigrovittata – Mexico to ArgentinaParasteatoda oxymaculata – China, India, LaosParasteatoda palmata Gao & Li, 2014 – ChinaParasteatoda polygramma – New GuineaParasteatoda quadrimaculata – TaiwanParasteatoda ryukyu – Korea, Japan, TaiwanParasteatoda simulans – Europe, Turkey, Caucasus, Russia Parasteatoda songi – ChinaParasteatoda subtabulata – ChinaParasteatoda subvexa – ChinaParasteatoda tabulata – Tropical Asia. Introduced to North America, Europe, Georgia, Russia, Central Asia, China, Korea, JapanParasteatoda taiwanica Yoshida, 2015 – TaiwanParasteatoda tepidariorum – Asia. Introduced to Canada, United States, South America, Europe, Morocco, Turkey, Caucasus, Russia, St. Helena, South Africa, Seychelles, New Zealand, Hawaii- * P. t. australis – MyanmarParasteatoda transipora – China, TaiwanParasteatoda triangula – Singapore, Indonesia Parasteatoda valoka – New Guinea, Papua New Guinea Parasteatoda vervoorti – New GuineaParasteatoda wangi Jin & Zhang, 2013 – ChinaParasteatoda wau – Papua New Guinea
- P. brookesiana
- P. campanulata
- P. ferrumequina
- P. japonica
- P. mundula
- P. mundula
- P. oculiprominens Saito, 1939
- P. tesselata