Wanniyala is a genus of cellar spiders native to Sri Lanka, first described by Huber & Benjamin in 2005.[1] They have six eyes and four pair of legs and grow up to 2 mm in length. The abdomen is globular and males have a distinctive distal hinged sclerite on the procursus of genitalia.[2] The name is derived from the Sri Lankans native to the island that the first spiders were found on- the Vedda people- and their surname Wanniyala-Aetto.[3]

Wanniyala
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Pholcidae
Genus: Wanniyala
Huber & Benjamin, 2005
Type species
Wanniyala agrabopath
Huber & Benjamin, 2005
Species

9, see text.

Species edit

As of February 2019, it contains nine species:[4]

References edit

  1. ^ Huber, B. A.; Benjamin, S. P. (2005). "The pholcid spiders from Sri Lanka: redescription of Pholcus ceylonicus and description of a new genus (Araneae: Pholcidae)". Journal of Natural History. 39 (37): 3305–3319. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.539.4947. doi:10.1080/00222930500145123. S2CID 53418516.
  2. ^ "The pholcid spiders from Sri Lanka: redescription of Pholcus ceylonicus and description of a new genus" (PDF). pholcidae. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  3. ^ "The pholcid spiders from Sri Lanka: redescription of Pholcus ceylonicus and description of a new genus" (PDF). pholcidae. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Gen. Wanniyala Huber & Benjamin, 2005". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2019-03-04.