Bassaniana utahensis
This record describes Bassaniana utahensis (species). Recorded family: Thomisidae. Recorded order: Araneae.
Identification and Appearance
Epigynum: Palp (better images needed): Distinguishing B. utahensis from C. brunneipes : So I looked at these carefully today, comparing only the males of spiders I think the ID is 100% correct. vs. Here is what I see... for differences. Coriarachne brunneipes males tend to have a 1. more elongated abdomen 2. less coloring on the legs 3. longer leg segments 4. carapace tends to have deeper 'grooves' 5. Perhaps the white marking on the abdomen tend to point more forward toward the edges. Now I think there is the possibility that many of the Coriarachne brunneipes photographed were just 'thinner' than the Bassaniana utahensis , but up to now those points seem to be consistent.
Wikipedia reference for Bassaniana utahensis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bassaniana utahensis.
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Arachnida
- Order
- Araneae (Spiders)
- Family
- Thomisidae (Crab Spiders)
- Genus
- Bassaniana (Bark Crab Spiders)
Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
About Spiders: the wider group
Order-level background for Araneae, the group containing Bassaniana utahensis. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
As of 2023, 51,673 spider species in 136 families have been recorded, though an estimated 150,000 species exist. Spiders rank 7th in total species diversity among all organism orders. Only 0.5% of spider species pose any risk to human health.
Ecological role of the group
Spider venom contains complex peptides with diverse pharmacological activities, making them valuable for drug development research. Spiders produce up to 7 types of silk from specialized glands. Spider silk genes have been inserted into mammals and plants for biotech applications.
Economic and practical significance of the group
The global spider community kills an estimated 400-800 million tons of prey annually (2017 study). Spiders provide billions of dollars in natural pest control for agriculture. Spider silk is 5× stronger than steel of the same diameter, driving a biomaterials research industry.
Recorded sources for this group: World Spider Catalog, PNAS, Nature, ScienceDirect. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
Photos of Bassaniana utahensis (6)
Photo credits: (c) Tom Murray, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tom Murray | (c) cheins1, all rights reserved, uploaded by cheins1 | (c) Gergin Blagoev, Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA) | (c) Scott Baxter, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Scott Baxter | (c) Alex McDonald, all rights reserved, uploaded by Alex McDonald | Contributed by Jeff Hollenbeck; Additional contributions by john and jane balaban , Lynette Elliott , cheins