Genus Habronestes L. Koch, 1872

Museums

Regional Maps

• Habronestes Koch, L. in Koch, L. & Keyserling, E. [1871–1883] 1872. Die Arachniden Australiens. Nürnberg : Bauer & Raspe Vol. 1. [299].

  Type species:

   Habronestes striatipes L. Koch, 1872 by subsequent designation, see Bonnet, P. 1961. Bibliographia Araneorum. Toulouse : Douadoure Vol. 2. [1945-1961] [2068].

Introduction

The Ant Spiders, of the genus Habronestes, are one of the main ground-living spider genera in Australia, often recognized by their attractive, bright yellow orange spots in contrast to a dark brown abdomen, and by their annulated legs. They are medium sized (4.5 – 8.0 mm), diurnal and feed predominantly on ants, mimicking their behavior and sometimes even their chemical traits (Allan, Elgar, & Capon, 1996). The Habronestes species are endemic to Australia and have their main distribution in the tropical and subtropical region reaching their southern boundary in Tasmania with only few remaining species. Baehr (2003, 2008) revised very large sections of the genus.

Distribution

States

Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IBRA

ACT, NSW, Qld: Brigalow Belt South (BBS), Cobar Peneplain (CP), South Eastern Queensland (SEQ) ; ACT, NSW, Qld, Tas: NSW North Coast (NNC), Sydney Basin (SB), South East Corner (SEC) ; ACT, NSW, Qld, Vic: Murray Darling Depression (MDD), Nandewar (NAN), New England Tablelands (NET), South Eastern Highlands (SEH) ; ACT, NSW, Tas: Tasmanian Northern Midlands (TNM) ; NSW: Broken Hill Complex (BHC), Darling Riverine Plains (DRP) ; NSW, Qld: Brigalow Belt North (BBN), Cape York Peninsula (CYP), Mulga Lands (ML), Riverina (RIV) ; NT: Burt Plain (BRT), Finke (FIN), MacDonnell Ranges (MAC), Simpson Strzelecki Dunefields (SSD) ; NT, Qld: Channel Country (CHC), Mitchell Grass Downs (MGD) ; Qld: Central Mackay Coast (CMC), Desert Uplands (DEU), Einasleigh Uplands (EIU), Wet Tropics (WT) ; Tas: Ben Lomond (BEL), Flinders (FLI), Tasmanian Central Highlands (TCH), Tasmanian South East (TSE), Tasmanian Southern Ranges (TSR), Tasmanian West (TWE) ; WA: Coolgardie (COO), Central Ranges (CR), Dampierland (DL), Gibson Desert (GD), Great Sandy Desert (GSD), Great Victoria Desert (GVD), Hampton (HAM), Little Sandy Desert (LSD), Murchison (MUR), Nullarbor (NUL), Tanami (TAN)

Other Regions

Australian Antarctic Territory

Diagnosis

Cymbium with large, retrolateral fold (RCF). Palp with sickle-shaped VTA, DTA with long stalk and enrolled end covered with spicules, which functions as a conductor; embolus thin, semicircular, embolus base flattened.
According to the extremely different eye pattern, the described Australian species belong to three different species-groups: The H. australiensis-group, the H. macedonensis-group and the H. pictus- group.
The systematics and the genus description are explicitly explained in Baehr (2003c).

Diagnosis References

Baehr, B. 2003. Revision of the Australian spider genus Habronestes (Araneae: Zodariidae). Species of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. Records of the Australian Museum 55: 343-376 [344]

General References

Baehr, B. 2003. Revision of the Australian spider genus Habronestes (Araneae: Zodariidae). Species of New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. Records of the Australian Museum 55: 343-376

Baehr, B. 2008. Revision of the Australian ant spider genus Habronestes L. Koch 1872 (Araneae: Zodariidae): III The Habronestes macedonensis-group in Queensland and New South Wales. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 52(2): 65-87 [Date published 30 April]

History of changes