Kingdom Animalia Order Araneae Family Dictynidae Scientific name Cicurina venii Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Suborder Araneomorphae Genus Cicurina Higher classification Cicurina | |
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Similar Cicurina, Cicurina madla, Bee creek cave harvestman, Arachnid, Tooth Cave spider | ||
Cicurina venii is a rare species of eyeless spider in the family Dictynidae known by the common name Braken Bat Cave meshweaver. It is endemic to Texas in the United States, where it is known from Bracken Cave in Bexar County. This is one of nine invertebrates endemic to the karst caves of Bexar County that were federally listed as endangered species in the year 2000.
No bigger than a dime, only two specimens of this species were ever collected, including at least one female, but that specimen is now lost. The entrance to Braken Bat Cave, the type locality for the species, has been filled in, and the cave cannot currently be accessed. It is located on private property. The status of the species is unknown. In August 2012, one was found in a 6-foot-deep natural hole in Northwest San Antonio, halting completion of a $15-million highway underpass. Biologists have identified at least 19 cave features in the area, at least five of which could contain more.
The Bexar County karst cave invertebrates are troglobites, species that spend their entire lives in subterranean environments. The threats to all nine species are the same: habitat loss when the caves are filled in or quarried, and habitat degradation via pollution, alterations in water flow, and direct human interference.