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Eocene spiders from the Isle of Wight with preserved respiratory structures
Selden, Paul A.
Selden, Paul A.
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Abstract
A new fossil spider, Vectaraneus yulei gen. et sp. nov., from the Eocene Bembridge Marls Insect Bed of the
Isle of Wight, shows internal anatomy, including book lungs and tracheae, preserved by calcium carbonate
replacement. The wide, medially positioned, tracheal spiracle and large tracheae which enter the prosoma are
adaptations for an amphibious mode of life. The spider is placed in Cybaeidae Simon, 1898, Argyronetinae Menge,
1869, a subfamily which includes the Recent European Water Spider, Argyroneta aquatica (Clerck, 1757). The only
previously described Bembridge Marls spider, Eoatypus woodwardii McCook, 1888, is redescribed; it is unrelated to
Vectaraneus. The holotype of Argyroneta antiqua Von Heyden (1859) is redescribed; it is not an Argyroneta.
Specimens referred to A. antiqua by Bertkau (1878) probably belong in Argyronetinae Menge, 1869, and this
subfamily is emended herein.
Description
Date
2001
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The Palaeontological Association
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Keywords
Araneae, Argyroneta, Cybaeidae, Tracheal system
Citation
Selden, P. A. 2001. Eocene spiders from the Isle of Wight with preserved respiratory structures. Palaeontology 44, 695–729. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1475-4983.00199