Cithaeronidae is a small family of araneomorph spiders first described by Simon in 1893 Female Cithaeron are about long, males about .
They are pale yellowish, fast-moving spiders that actively hunt at night and rest during the day, building silken retreats below rocks. They prefer very hot, dry stony places.
Distribution While Inthaeron occurs only in India, members of the genus Cithaeron are found in Africa, India and parts of Eurasia. Three adult females of C. praedonius were found in Teresina, Piauí, Brazil. As they were found in and near human housings, they presumably were accidentally introduced. This is probably also the case for finds in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Another population of C. praedonius has been discovered in Florida U.S.A., with reports of a stable breeding population.(Pers. comm. Joseph Stiles)
Genera , this family includes two genera and ten species:
Cithaeron O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872 – Africa, Malaysia, India, Iran, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Middle East to India, North Africa. Introduced to Bahamas, Cuba, Honduras, Panama, Mexico, United States, Australia, Brazil Inthaeron Platnick, 1991 – India
References
(2002): A revision of the Australasian ground spiders of the families Ammoxenidae, Cithaeronidae, Gallieniellidae, and Trochanteriidae (Araneae, Gnaphosoidea). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 271. PDF (26Mb) — Abstract
External links
(2011): The first North American records of the synanthropic spider. Hi-Res Photographs of Cithaeron praedonius