Kingdom Animalia Class Arachnida Suborder Araneomorphae | Phylum Arthropoda Order Araneae Rank Subfamily | |
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The Artoriinae are a subfamily of wolf spiders. They are the sister group to the Lycosinae and Pardosinae combined.
Contents
Characteristics
Artoriinae are distinguished from all other Lycosidae by the presence of a basoembolic (at the base of the embolus) apophysis on the male pedipalp. This apophysis can be thin and lamellar, as in some Diahogna and Tetralycosa, very strongly sclerotized, as in Artoria, or may have a finger-like protrusion, as in Anoteropsis. The function during copulation is not known.
Distribution
Artoriinae only occur in the Oriental, Australasian and Pacific regions, and have a center of diversity in Australia and New Zealand. According to Framenau (2007), the Australian diversity, combined with the absonce from South America, Africa and India suggest a post-Gondwanan origin, that is less than 60 million years ago.
Taxonomy
Currently there are three African species of Artoria. A. amoena and A. maculipes were described under genus Artoriella by Carl Friedrich Roewer, who also moved A. lycosimorpha and the Australian A. cingulipes, A. flavimana and A. taeniifera there. As the type species of Artoriella, A. flavimana belongs to Artoria, the whole genus is now considered a junior synonym of Artoria. However, based on Roewer's descriptions, the African Artoria are more likely to belong to genus Pardosa or a related genus. Until a revision of these species is undertaken, these African species will technically reside in Artoria.
Genera
Two as yet unnamed genera with sixteen known species also belong to this subfamily.