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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynae » Cobweb Spiders (Theridiidae) » Tidarren

Genus Tidarren

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Range · Remarks · See Also · Print References · Works Cited

voucher images - Tidarren sisyphoides - female

voucher images - Tidarren sisyphoides - male

Red Cobweb Spider - Dorsal - Tidarren sisyphoides - female

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)

Class Arachnida (Arachnids)

Order Araneae (Spiders)

Infraorder Araneomorphae (True Spiders)

No Taxon (Entelegynae)

Family Theridiidae (Cobweb Spiders)

Genus Tidarren

Explanation of Names

A Gosiute-Greek combination meaning 'small male'(1).

Numbers

2 species in BugGuide's range (North American north of Mexico).

Identification

Seems to come in a variety of shades, but always present is a conspicuous white line that runs vertically from the highest point of the abdomen all the way down to the spinnerets.

Range

Tidarren haemorrhoidale:

Tidarren sisyphoides:

Remarks

The tiny males of this genus only have one pedipalp, and it is disproportionally large!

Also, the females typically use debris to construct a retreat within their cobweb. They will also hide their egg sac(s) in there.

See Also

Parasteatoda & Cryptachaea

Print References

Agnarsson, 2006. Phylogenetic placement of Echinotheridion (Araneae:Theridiidae) - do male sexual organ removal, emasculation, and sexual cannibalism in Echinotheridion and Tidarren represent evolutionary replicas? Invertebrate Systematics 20: 415-429.

Knoflach & Benjamin, 2003. Mating without sexual cannibalism in Tidarren sisyphoides (Araneae, Theridiidae). Journal of Arachnology 31: 445-448.

Levi, 1957c. The spider genera Chrysso and Tidarren in America. Journal of the New York Entomological Society 63: 59-81. (can be downloaded via JSTOR if you have access)

Ramos, Irschick, & Christenson, 2004. Overcoming an evolutionary conflict: Removal of a reproductive organ greatly increases locomotor performance. PNAS 101(14): 4883-4887.

Works Cited

1.	Spiders of North America: An Identification Manual D. Ubick, P. Paquin, P.E. Cushing and V. Roth (eds). 2005. American Arachnological Society.

Contributed by Jeff Hollenbeck on 9 February, 2006 - 5:27pm
Additional contributions by Mandy Howe
Last updated 11 August, 2012 - 4:03pm

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