| Propostira | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Theridiidae |
| Genus: | Propostira Simon, 18941 |
| Type species | |
| P. quadrangulata Simon, 1894
| |
| Species | |
| |
Propostira is a genus of Asian comb-footed spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1894.2 As of June 2026 it contains three species. Two are found in Sri Lanka and India: P. quadrangulata and P. ranii.1 A third was discovered in 2026 in the rainforest of the Cape York Peninsula. Yet to be officially named, it has been nicknamed the "Ballista Spider", in reference to the Ballista weapon that could hurl stones.34
References
References
- "Theridiidae | Sundevall, 1833". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
- Simon, Eugène (1894). Histoire naturelle des araignées [Natural history of spiders] (in French). Paris: Roret. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.51973.
- Davies, Maia (23 June 2026). "Spider which uses spring trap to capture prey discovered in Australia". BBC News. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
- Narrenda, Ajay (23 June 2026). "This tiny Australian spider uses a high‑powered web catapult to trap and eat aggressive ants". The Lighthouse. Macquarie University. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
Further reading
Further reading
- Levi, H. W.; Levi, L. R. (1962). "The genera of the spider family Theridiidae". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 127: 1–71.
- Bhattacharya, G. C. (1935). "A new spider of Bengal, mimicking Oecophylla smaragdina (Fabr.)". Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 37: 960–962.
- Simon, E. (1895). "Etudes arachnologiques. 26e. XLI. Descriptions d'espèces et de genres nouveaux de l'ordre des Araneae". Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. 64: 131–160.