Attidops

Banks, 1905

Species Guides

Attidops is a of diminutive jumping spiders (Salticidae) established by Nathan Banks in 1905. The genus contains four described distributed across North America from Canada to Mexico. These spiders measure only 2–3 mm in body length and exhibit minimal . The genus name derives from the salticid suffix -attus and Greek -ops ("to look like"), referencing its resemblance to related genera.

Attidops by (c) Photographed by G. B. Edwards, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.

Attidops youngi by no rights reserved, uploaded by Zygy. Used under a CC0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Attidops: /ˈætɪdɒps/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Attidops can be distinguished from closely related Ballus, Admestina, and Icius by its extremely small size (2–3 mm), the combination of dark reddish-brown prosoma with yellowish-brown legs, and the presence of distinctive flattened translucent -like hairs on the body sides. The minimal further separates it from many salticid genera where males and females differ markedly.

Images

Distribution

North America, ranging from Canada through the United States to Mexico

Similar Taxa

BallusClosely related from which Attidops was separated; Attidops was originally established to accommodate Ballus youngi
AdmestinaClosely related salticid sharing phylogenetic affinity with Attidops
IciusClosely related salticid in the same phylogenetic group as Attidops

More Details

Etymology

The name combines -attus (a common suffix for salticid genera) with Greek -ops meaning "to look like" or ""

Nomenclatural history

Nathan Banks created the in 1905 via a brief footnote, simply stating "Attidops, a new genus for Ballus youngi Peck" without further description