Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 7, 2026

Spelaeus

Spelaeus is a monotypic genus of spiders in the family Linyphiidae containing the single species, Spelaeus cicatrix.

Last revised
Jun 7, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
167 w
Citations
7
Source
Spelaeus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Linyphiidae
Genus: Spelaeus
Irfan, Zhang & Peng, 20252
Species:
S. cicatrix
Binomial name
Spelaeus cicatrix
Irfan, Zhang & Peng, 20251

Spelaeus is a monotypic genus of spiders in the family Linyphiidae containing the single species, Spelaeus cicatrix.1

Distribution

Spelaeus cicatrix has only been recorded from Niujiao Cave near Tongren City, Guizhou Province, China.12

Etymology

The genus name is from Latin spelaeum "cave", as the species was found in Niujiao Cave.2

The specific name means "scar" in Latin, referring to scars found at the anterior half of the female epigyne. These scars were found in the majority of females. The authors suggest that these might be a result of the mating process.2

References

References

  1. "Gen. Spelaeus Irfan, Zhang & Peng, 2025". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
  2. Irfan, M.; Zhou, G. C.; Peng, X. J.; Zhang, Z. S. (2025). "Survey of Linyphiidae spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from some oriental regions of China". Megataxa. 15: 1–248. doi:10.11646/megataxa.15.1.1.