Electrocteniza

Name: Electrocteniza ‭(‬Amber Cteniza‭)‬.
Phonetic: E-lek-tro-ten-se-ah.
Named By: K.‭ ‬Y.‭ ‬Eskov‭ & ‬S.‭ ‬L.‭ ‬Zonstein‭ ‬-‭ ‬2000.
Classification: Arthropoda,‭ ‬Arachnida,‭ ‬Araneae,‭ ‬Opisthothelae,‭ ‬Mygalomorphae, Ctenizidae.
Species: E.‭ ‬sadilenkoi‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Insectivore.
Size: Carapace on thorax is‭ ‬2.63‭ ‬millimetres,‭ ‬Abdomen is‭ ‬2.50‭ ‬millimetres.‭ ‬Total body length including the chelicerae‭ (‬fangs‭) ‬is‭ ‬5.88‭ ‬millimetres long.
Known locations: Russia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Baltic coast.
Time period: Priabonian of the Eocene.
Fossil representation: Single male almost perfectly preserved in Baltic amber.

       Electrocteniza is a genus of trapdoor spider that lived in North East Europe during the Eocene.‭ ‬Like other trapdoor spiders,‭ ‬Electrocteniza would have either lined an existing crevice with silk or dug out a burrow in soft dirt,‭ ‬and then sealed this area with a hinged door.‭ ‬When insects came close to the entrance,‭ ‬the spider would rush out of its lair,‭ ‬dragging the insect inside after delivering a bite.‭ ‬Electrocteniza was named at the same time as another genus of trapdoor spider called Baltocteniza,‭ ‬though Electrocteniza is differentiated by raised eye tubercles.
       Baltic Amber is the result of tree resins solidifying during the Eocene Epoch.‭ ‬Small animals such‭ ‬as insects and spiders were preserved inside this resin when it was runny,‭ ‬and were near perfectly preserved for well over thirty million years afterwards.‭ ‬Much‭ ‬Baltic amber is small and preserved in sediments on the bottom of the‭ ‬Baltic sea,‭ ‬however because amber typically floats in salt water,‭ ‬lots of small chunks of amber are washed up on the coastlines of the Baltic sea,‭ ‬especially in countries such as Poland and Russia.

Further reading
-‭ ‬The first ctenizoid mygalomorph spiders from Eocene Baltic amber‭ (‬Araneida:‭ ‬Mygalomorphae:‭ ‬Ctenizidae‭)‬.‭ ‬Paleontological Journal‭ ‬34‭(‬Suppl‭ ‬3‭)‬:S268-S274.‭ ‬-‭ ‬K.‭ ‬Y.‭ ‬Eskov‭ & ‬S.‭ ‬L.‭ ‬Zonstein‭ ‬-‭ ‬2000.



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