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Uduba sp. (Zorocratidae)
SPIDERS
RECORDED FROM MADAGASCAR
By V. D. Roth, D. Silva Davila, D. Ubick, and C.E. Griswold
http://research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/catalog81-87/index.html
In progress, version June 2003
As with many other groups of plants and animals, the spider fauna of Madagascar is most interesting to a biologist.There is a high degree of endemism and the faunal composition is quite different from that in other parts of the world. For instance, the family Halidae is restricted to Madagascar, and Gallieniellidae is largely restricted to this island. Migidae has an endemic subfamily, and Pisauridae (fishing spiders), Heteropodidae (giant crab spiders) and Zorocratidae are very well represented. The family Thomisidae has many endemic genera. Archaeidae are best represented here, as well as having the largest species here.
The classification follows PLATNICK, N.I. 1997. Advances in spider taxonomy, 1992-1995: with redescriptions 1940-1980. New York Entomological Society, 976 pp., except where it is modified to reflect the changes suggested in GRISWOLD, C.E., J.A. CODDINGTON, N. PLATNICK, and R. FORSTER. 1999. Towards a phylogeny of entelegyne spiders (Araneae, Araneomorphae, Entelegynae). J. Arachnol., 27:53-63.Below is a list of species known to occur in Madagascar, although certainly with additional collecting further species will be added to this list. A name in parentheses preceded by an equal sign represents a junior synonym. Not all original descriptions have been consulted yet.
MYGALOMORPHAE
ARANEOMORPHAE
web page created by Norman D. Penny
Last updated June 2003