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Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from the Insect Limestone (Bembridge Marls, Late Eocene) of the Isle of Wight, southern England
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 May 2014
Abstract
The arachnids from the late Eocene Insect Limestone of the Isle of Wight are reviewed. Only spiders (Araneae) have been recorded, of which several dozen are known, mostly juveniles. Nearly all are araneomorphs; the putative mygalomorph Eoatypus woodwardii McCook, 1888 was removed from that infraorder by Selden (2001), but new specimens, yet to be described, could belong in this group. Among the adult specimens, which are thus identifiable to family level, most belong to the argyronetid water-spider Vectaraneus yulei Selden, 2001; some resemble araneids, and a small number can be referred to other families. New morphological information on the holotype of Vectaraneus is presented, and three other specimens are described in more detail here, in Segestriidae, Araneidae and Salticidae. Segestriids are nocturnal sedentary hunters living in tubular retreats in rock or bark crevices. Araneids are the archetypal weavers of orb webs. Salticids are the familiar jumping spiders; the one described here is an ant mimic. Their presence suggests a drier habitat was present somewhere in the source environment for the fossil biota, and they were probably inhabitants of the raised hammocks suggested for the Insect Bed palaeoenvironment.
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- Copyright © The Royal Society of Edinburgh 2014