Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 24, 2026

Barrowammo

Barrowammo is a genus of North and West Australian termite hunters containing the single species, Barrowammo waldockae. It was first described by Norman I. Platnick in 2002, and has only been found in Australia. The name is a portmanteau of Barrow Island and Ammoxenidae.

Last revised
Jun 24, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
231 w
Citations
5
Source
Barrowammo
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Gnaphosidae
Genus: Barrowammo
Species:
B. waldockae
Binomial name
Barrowammo waldockae
Platnick, 20021

Barrowammo is a genus of North and West Australian termite hunters containing the single species, Barrowammo waldockae. It was first described by Norman I. Platnick in 2002,2 and has only been found in Australia.1 The name is a portmanteau of Barrow Island and Ammoxenidae.3

Members of this genus are most similar to Austrammo, but there are several distinct differences. Notably, they lack setae on the back of the last segment of the pedipalp, which is a defining characteristic of Austrammo. In males, there are tubercles on the bulb of the pedipalp and a scutum on the back of the abdomen that doesn't occur in members of Austrammo. In females, the abdomen is rectangular, while those of Austrammo are triangular.3 These differences were considered enough to create a new genus.

References

References

  1. "Gen. Barrowammo Platnick, 2002". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2019-05-08.
  2. Platnick, N. I. (2002). "A revision of the Australasian ground spiders of the families Ammoxenidae, Cithaeronidae, Gallieniellidae, and Trochanteriidae (Araneae: Gnaphosoidea)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 271: 1–243.
  3. Platnick, N.I. (2002). "A revision of the Australasian ground spiders of the families Ammoxenidae, Cithaeronidae, Gallieniellidae, and Trochanteriidae (Araneae: Gnaphosoidea)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 271: 18–19.