Poecilochroa

Poecilochroa is a genus of ground spiders that was first described by Niklas Westring in 1874.^[2]

Description

As Gnaphosidae, Poecilochroa have large cylindrical spinnerets. They are nocturnal, spending the day in silken retreats and going out at night to hunt.^[3]

Poecilochroa are divided into two gnaphosid groups based on their abdomen colouration: those with plain abdomens are in the Echemus group, while those with black and white abdomen are in the Herpyllus group. Males of both groups have well-developed dorsal scuta.^[4]

Habitat

Poecilochroa occur in various habitats including on and under stones and dead leaves, on vegetation, in steppes, grasslands, dry fields, stream beds and forest floors.^[5][6]

Species

As of May 2019 it contains thirty-nine species and one subspecies:^[1]

• Poecilochroa albomaculata (Lucas, 1846) – Western Mediterranean
• Poecilochroa alcala Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
• Poecilochroa anomala (Hewitt, 1915) – South Africa
• Poecilochroa antineae Fage, 1929 – Mali
• Poecilochroa barmani Tikader, 1982 – India
• Poecilochroa behni Thorell, 1891 – India (Nicobar Is.)
• Poecilochroa bifasciata Banks, 1902 – Ecuador (Galapagos Is.)
• Poecilochroa capensis Strand, 1909 – South Africa
• Poecilochroa carinata Caporiacco, 1947 – Uganda
• Poecilochroa dayamibrookiana Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
• Poecilochroa devendrai Gajbe & Rane, 1985 – India
• Poecilochroa faradjensis Lessert, 1929 – Congo
• Poecilochroa furcata Simon, 1914 – France, Italy, Greece
• Poecilochroa golan Levy, 1999 – Israel
• Poecilochroa haplostyla Simon, 1907 – São Tomé and Príncipe
• Poecilochroa incompta (Pavesi, 1880) – Tunisia
• Poecilochroa insularis Kulczyński, 1911 – Indonesia (Java)
• Poecilochroa involuta Tucker, 1923 – South Africa
• Poecilochroa joreungensis Paik, 1992 – Korea
• Poecilochroa latefasciata Simon, 1893 – Peru
• Poecilochroa loricata Kritscher, 1996 – Malta
• Poecilochroa malagassa Strand, 1907 – Madagascar
• Poecilochroa parangunifasciata Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines
• Poecilochroa patricia (Simon, 1878) – France (Corsica)
• Poecilochroa pauciaculeis Caporiacco, 1947 – East Africa
• Poecilochroa perversa Simon, 1914 – France
• Poecilochroa phyllobia (Thorell, 1871) – Italy
• Poecilochroa pugnax (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1874) – Libya, Egypt, Ethiopia, Israel
• Poecilochroa rollini Berland, 1933 – French Polynesia (Marquesas Is., Tuamotu)
• Poecilochroa sedula (Simon, 1897) – India
• Poecilochroa senilis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) – France (Corsica) to Turkmenistan
  • Poecilochroa s. auspex (Simon, 1878) – Spain, France
• Poecilochroa taborensis Levy, 1999 – Israel, Cyprus, Greece, Portugal
• Poecilochroa taeguensis Paik, 1992 – Korea
• Poecilochroa tikaderi Patel, 1989 – India
• Poecilochroa tridotus Caleb & Mathai, 2013 – India
• Poecilochroa trifasciata Mello-Leitão, 1918 – Brazil
• Poecilochroa variana (C. L. Koch, 1839) (type) – Europe to Central Asia
• Poecilochroa viduata (Pavesi, 1883) – Ethiopia
• Poecilochroa vittata Kulczyński, 1911 – Indonesia (Java)

References