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Amaurobioides

Amaurobioides is a genus of anyphaenid sac spiders first described by O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1883.

Distribution

The genus Amaurobioides shows a remarkable disjunct distribution across the Southern Hemisphere, with species found along the rocky coastlines of South Africa, Namibia, Madagascar, New Zealand, Australia, Tasmania, and Chile.

Hewitt (1917) proposed that the wide distribution might be explained through passive dispersal on floating seaweeds, facilitated by the ocean currents of the southern oceans. This hypothesis is supported by the genus's ecological preferences for intertidal zones and their ability to survive submersion in waterproof silk-lined retreats. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current and various equatorial currents in the Indian Ocean could provide mechanisms for such long-distance dispersal, potentially transporting spiders on drifting algae between continents.

Species

, this genus includes twelve species:

References