Desis (spider) explained

Desis is a genus of intertidal spiders that was first described by Charles Athanase Walckenaer in 1837.^[1] Species of the genus are found in Australasia, the Pacific, Japan, eastern and southern Africa, and India. They are marine spiders, living in the intertidal zone and only emerging at the ebb tide to hunt for invertebrates including shrimp. When submerged during high tides, they stay in an air chamber sealed with silk,^{[2] [3] [4]} and breathe its air.^[5]

Species

it contains fourteen species:^[6]

• Desis bobmarleyi Baehr, Raven & Harms, 2017 – Australia (Queensland)
• Desis crosslandi Pocock, 1903 – Tanzania (Zanzibar), Madagascar, Comoros, Mayotte
• Desis formidabilis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1891) – Namibia, South Africa
• Desis galapagoensis Hirst, 1925 – Ecuador (Galapagos Is.)
• Desis gardineri Pocock, 1904 – India (Laccadive Is.)
• Desis inermis Gravely, 1927 – India
• Desis japonica Yaginuma, 1956 – Japan
• Desis kenyonae Pocock, 1902 – Australia (Victoria, Tasmania)
• Desis marina (Hector, 1877) – New Caledonia, New Zealand (mainland, Chatham Is.)
• Desis martensi L. Koch, 1872 – Malaysia
• Desis maxillosa (Fabricius, 1793) (type) – New Guinea, New Caledonia
• Desis risbeci Berland, 1931 – New Caledonia
• Desis tangana Roewer, 1955 – East Africa
• Desis vorax L. Koch, 1872 – Samoa

Notes and References

1. Book: Walckenaer, C. A.. 1837. Histoire naturelle des insectes. Aptères.
2. Web site: Desis sp. Marine Spiders. www.arachne.org.au. 2016-01-18.
3. Baehr . B.C. . Raven . R. . Harms . D. . 2017 . 'High Tide or Low Tide': Desis bobmarleyi sp. n., a new spider from coral reefs in Australia's Sunshine State and its relative from Sāmoa (Araneae, Desidae, Desis) . Evolutionary Systematics . 1 . 111–120 . 10.3897/evolsyst.1.15735 . amp . free .
4. Nyffeler, M. . Pusey, B.J. . 2014 . Fish Predation by Semi-Aquatic Spiders: A Global Pattern . PLOS ONE . 9 . 6 . e99459 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0099459. 4062410 . 24940885 . 2014PLoSO...999459N . free .
5. Web site: Mysterious Marine Spiders in Sydney Harbour . 2023-11-25 . The Australian Museum . en.
6. Gen. Desis Walckenaer, 1837. World Spider Catalog Version 20.0. 2019-05-31. 2019. Natural History Museum Bern. 10.24436/2.