Pachygnatha is a genus of long-jawed orb-weavers that was first described by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1823.
Distribution Spiders in this genus are found in Eurasia, Africa and North America.
Life style Pachygnatha species are typically found close to the ground in leaf litter, hollow plant stems, under stones, dead wood, or leaves. They are usually more numerous in damp areas.
Adult spiders are secondarily webless, with only immature spiders constructing orb webs.
African species Very little is known about the biology and behaviour of Afrotropical species. Studies have shown that Pachygnatha species are found mainly in the lower litter layer, with Pachygnatha leleupi being the most common species. This species occurs throughout equatorial Africa at high altitudes, from Cameroon to Malawi. Specimens were much more abundant where water was available.
Description
The carapace bears eyes that are closely grouped, with median eyes separated by their own diameter. The chelicerae are notably large and consistently feature three teeth on the anterior margin in females. In males, the chelicerae are modified and expanded, sometimes bearing a spur on the outside above the base of the fang. The abdomen is subspherical and slightly flattened.
The dorsal surface displays a folium bordered by dark marks with adjacent silver spots. The folium typically has posterior lobes, and the cardiac mark is sometimes outlined by dark pigment or features a median dark mark. Paired white spots are often present. The legs are rather thin and lack macrosetae.
Species , this genus includes 44 species and two subspecies:
Pachygnatha amurensis Strand, 1907 – Russia (Far East), China Pachygnatha atromarginata Bosmans & Bosselaers, 1994 – Cameroon Pachygnatha autumnalis Marx, 1884 – Canada, United States, Cuba Pachygnatha bispiralis Nzigidahera & Jocqué, 2014 – Burundi Pachygnatha bonneti Senglet, 1973 – Spain Pachygnatha brevis Keyserling, 1884 – Canada, United States Pachygnatha calusa Levi, 1980 – United States Pachygnatha clercki Sundevall, 1823 – North America, Europe, Caucasus, Russia (Europe to Far East), Kazakhstan, Iran, Central Asia, China, Korea, Japan (type species) Pachygnatha clerckoides Wunderlich, 1985 – Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Russia (Europe, Caucasus), Iran Pachygnatha degeeri Sundevall, 1830 – Azores, Europe, Turkey, Caucasus, Russia (Europe to Far East), Iran, Central Asia, China P. d. dysdericolor Jocqué, 1977 – Morocco Pachygnatha dorothea McCook, 1894 – Canada, United States Pachygnatha fengzhen Zhu, Song & Zhang, 2003 – China Pachygnatha furcillata Keyserling, 1884 – Canada, United States Pachygnatha goedeli Bosmans & Bosselaers, 1994 – Cameroon Pachygnatha hexatracheata Bosmans & Bosselaers, 1994 – Cameroon Pachygnatha intermedia Nzigidahera & Jocqué, 2014 – Burundi Pachygnatha jansseni Bosmans & Bosselaers, 1994 – Cameroon Pachygnatha kiwuana Strand, 1913 – DR Congo Pachygnatha leleupi Lawrence, 1952 – Cameroon, DR Congo, Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa Pachygnatha listeri Sundevall, 1830 – Europe, Turkey, Caucasus, Russia (Europe to Far East), Kazakhstan Pachygnatha longipes Simon, 1894 – Madagascar Pachygnatha monticola Baba & Tanikawa, 2018 – Japan Pachygnatha mucronata Tullgren, 1910 – East Africa P. m. comorana Schmidt & Krause, 1993 – Comoros Pachygnatha ochongipina Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines Pachygnatha okuensis Bosmans & Bosselaers, 1994 – Cameroon Pachygnatha opdeweerdtae Bosmans & Bosselaers, 1994 – Cameroon Pachygnatha palmquisti Tullgren, 1910 – Kenya, Tanzania Pachygnatha procincta Bosmans & Bosselaers, 1994 – Cameroon, Burundi, Kenya Pachygnatha quadrimaculata (Bösenberg & Strand, 1906) – Russia (Far East), China, Korea, Japan Pachygnatha rotunda Saito, 1939 – Japan Pachygnatha ruanda Strand, 1913 – Rwanda Pachygnatha shengtangensis Huang, Wu, Yin, Xu & Chen, 2024 – China Pachygnatha simoni Senglet, 1973 – Spain Pachygnatha sundevalli Senglet, 1973 – Portugal, Spain Pachygnatha tenera Karsch, 1879 – Russia (Far East), China, Korea, Japan Pachygnatha terilis Thaler, 1991 – Switzerland, Austria, Italy Pachygnatha tristriata C. L. Koch, 1845 – Canada, United States Pachygnatha tullgreni Senglet, 1973 – Portugal, Spain Pachygnatha unciniformis Huang, Wu, Yin, Xu & Chen, 2024 – China Pachygnatha ventricosa Nzigidahera & Jocqué, 2014 – Burundi Pachygnatha vorax Thorell, 1895 – Myanmar Pachygnatha xanthostoma C. L. Koch, 1845 – Canada, United States Pachygnatha zappa Bosmans & Bosselaers, 1994 – Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa Pachygnatha zhui Zhu, Song & Zhang, 2003 – China
In synonymy: P. gaoi Zhu, Song & Zhang, 2003 = Pachygnatha amurensis Strand, 1907 P. kuratai Levi, 1951 = Pachygnatha dorothea McCook, 1894 P. nipponica (Kishida, 1936) = Pachygnatha quadrimaculata (Bösenberg & Strand, 1906) P. sewardi Chamberlin & Ivie, 1947 = Pachygnatha clercki Sundevall, 1823 P. yiliensis (Hu & Wu, 1985) = Pachygnatha degeeri Sundevall, 1830
References