Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Theotima minutissima

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Kingdom
  
Class
  
Suborder
  
Scientific name
  
Theotima minutissima

Phylum
  
Order
  
Araneae

Family
  
Rank
  
Species

Similar
  
Phryganoporus candidus, Aptostichus simus, Hypochilus thorelli, Callobius claustrarius, Oonops domesticus

Theotima minutissima is a minute (0.9mm) spider.

Distribution

T. minutissima occurs in Panama, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Guam. It is especially abundant in the tropical forest leaf litter on El Yunque, Puerto Rico.

However, with more than a thousand specimens collected over many years, none has ever been a male. It is now known that at least this species, and possibly others in the genus Theotima, reproduce parthenogenetically.

Its preferred habitat is litter composed of smaller leaves in second growth forests with understory shrubs or in those forests with damper and more easily decayed leaves such as mahogany. The species prefers elevations less than 800m.

References

Theotima minutissima Wikipedia


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