Rothus
| Rothus | |
|---|---|
| |
| R. aethiopicus | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Pisauridae |
| Genus: | Rothus Simon, 1898[1] |
| Species | |
| |
Rothus is a genus of nursery web spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1898.[2] Its three species are found in Africa, with R. aethiopicus reaching into Israel.[1]
Life style
[edit]These are free-running plant dwellers found in vegetation and are active at night. Some species sometimes wander into residences.[3]
Description
[edit]Members of this genus can be distinguished from all other African pisaurid genera by having three cheliceral teeth on the retromargin, an anterior eye row that is slightly procurved, and a posterior eye row that is recurved and wider than the anterior eye row.[3]
In males, the tegulum is large with a pronounced anterior projection, the conductor is large and pointed, the embolus is sickle-shaped, and the median apophysis is aligned and points almost horizontally retrolaterad. The retrolateral tibial apophysis is elongated and has a divided tip.[3]
The female copulatory organs feature an anteriorly excavated middle field and prominent curved lateral lobes.[3]
Taxonomy
[edit]The genus was reviewed by Silva and Sierwald in 2015.[3]
Species
[edit]As of October 2025[update], this genus includes three species:[1]
- Rothus aethiopicus (Pavesi, 1883) – Cameroon, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini, Egypt, Israel (type species)
- Rothus auratus Pocock, 1900 – South Africa
- Rothus vittatus Simon, 1898 – South Africa
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Genus Rothus". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ Simon, E. (1898). "Descriptions d'arachnides nouveaux des familles des Agelenidae, Pisauridae, Lycosidae et Oxyopidae". Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique. 42: 5–34.
- ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Pisauridae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 50. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7157775.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
