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Stalita taenaria
Stalita taenaria is an araneomorph spider species in the family Dysderidae.[2] The species is classified as a member of troglofauna, more precisely a troglobiont species, meaning such spiders are obligate cave-dwellers adapted to living in dark surroundings.[3][4] Stalita taenaria is a species of a few European countries.[5] The spider is thought to be the first described species of true (eyeless[6]) cave spider in the world.[7][8] TaxonomyThe species was first described and named by Danish entomologist Jørgen Matthias Christian Schiødte in 1847.[9] In the same year Schiødte also named and described the genus Stalita,[10] while making Stalita taenaria its type species.[11] Besides S. taenaria there are three more species in the same genus.[12] DescriptionMalesMales of this species are approximately 6.7 millimetres long. They have densely haired and oval opisthosoma (abdomen) which is of bright ivory colour. Their legs are reddish-brown and covered with many characteristic spines which are located only on a spider's tibial and femoral part of a leg. A spider has a flattened prosoma (cephalothorax) of dark rusty-brown colour. Bulbs of their pedipalps are quite long and shaped nearly cylindrical; they end with many long teeth. A peak of the embolus is claw-shaped.[5] FemalesFemales of this species are a bit bigger, usually reaching from 7 to 9 millimetres of length, with their prosoma reaching from 3.2 to 3.7 millimetres. A female's mouth parts, the chelicerae, consist of a promargin with three and retromargin containing only one tooth. A characteristic of females is also a vulva, which has T-shaped anterior part.[5] DistributionStalita taenaria is a relatively rare European troglobite species, limited to countries of Slovenia, Italy and Croatia.[5] GalleryReferences
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