Kingdom Animalia Class Arachnida Suborder Araneidae Rank Genus | Phylum Arthropoda Order Araneae Family Stiphidiidae | |
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Similar Aname atra, Hickmania, Celaenia, Hypochilus, Tooth Cave spider | ||
Tartarus is a genus of spiders. All four described species are found in caves systems of Western Australia. These are located in the karst area of the Nullarbor Plain. They are likely relict species from a time when the region was much more humid, given the fact that the other members of the family Stiphidiidae in Southern Australia live in forests.
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Names
The genus name is derived from Tartarus, a place in the underworld of Greek mythology, even lower than Hades. All four species take their common names, and the specific epithet, from the caves in which they were first collected.
Tartarus murdochensis and Tartarus thampannensis are both commonly called Murdoch sink cave spider, Tartarus nurinensis is also known as the Nurina cave spider.
Species
References
Tartarus (spider) Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA