Helsdingenia

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Classis: Arachnida
Ordo: Araneae
Subordo: Opisthothelae
Infraordo: Araneomorphae
Taxon: Neocribellatae
Series: Entelegynae
Superfamilia: Araneoidea

Familia: Linyphiidae
Subfamilia: Micronetinae
Genus: Helsdingenia
Species: H. ceylonica – H. extensa – H. hebes – H. hebesoides
Name

Helsdingenia Saaristo & Tanasevitch, 2003

Type species: Lepthyphantes ceylonicus van Helsdingen, 1985
References

Saaristo, M.I. & Tanasevitch, A.V. 2003. Helsdingenia gen.n., a new micronetid genus from Old-World tropics (Aranei: Linyphiidae: Micronetinae). Arthropoda Selecta 11: 153-158. Reference page.

Helsdingenia is a genus of dwarf spiders that was first described by Michael I. Saaristo & A. V. Tanasevitch in 2003.[2] The name is a reference to Dr. P. J van Helsdingen.[3]

They are usually pale colored spiders that grow up to 2.45 millimetres (0.096 in) long. Males are smaller than females, but females are distinguishable by their finger-like extensions in epigyne.[3] There are four pairs of dark spots in an abdominal pattern that are connected to each other, creating two parallel stripes.
Species

As of May 2019 it contains four species, found in Cameroon, Comoros, Indonesia, on Madagascar, Nepal, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka:[1]

Helsdingenia ceylonica (van Helsdingen, 1985) (type) – Nepal, Sri Lanka
Helsdingenia extensa (Locket, 1968) – St. Helena, Africa, Madagascar, Comoros
Helsdingenia hebes (Locket & Russell-Smith, 1980) – Nigeria, Cameroon
Helsdingenia hebesoides Saaristo & Tanasevitch, 2003 – Indonesia (Sumatra)