Macrothele
| Macrothele | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Threatening female M. gigas | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Suborder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Hexathelidae |
| Genus: |
Macrothele Ausserer, 1871 |
| Type species | |
|
Mygale calpeiana Walckenaer, 1805 |
|
| Species | |
|
See text. |
|
| Diversity | |
| 26 species | |
See text.
Macrothele is a genus of mygalomorph spiders.
Most species occur in Asia from India to Japan and Java, with four found in Africa, and two in Europe.
Spiders of this genus are fairly large, with Chinese species ranging from one to three centimeters in female body length. Males are smaller, sometimes only half the size.
These spiders build tube-webs or funnel-webs under rocks, logs or crevices in the ground.
Macrothele ranges from the western Mediterranean and West Africa to Southeast Asia and China. However, there is some doubt if the western and eastern species should be grouped in the same genus.
The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek makro "big" and thele, which refers to the spinnerets.
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Wikipedia