Palaeoperenethis

Pay-le-o-pe-ren-e-fiss.
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Lilah Turner

Evolutionary Biologist

Lilah Turner investigates how prehistoric animals adapted to changing environments, offering insights into evolution's mechanisms.

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Name

Palaeoperenethis.

Phonetic

Pay-le-o-pe-ren-e-fiss.

Named By

P.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Selden‭ & ‬D.‭ ‬Penney‭ ‬-‭ ‬2009.

Classification

Arthropoda,‭ ‬Arachnida,‭ ‬Araneae,‭ ‬Araneomorphae,‭ ‬Pisauridae.

Diet

Insectivore.

Species

P.‭ ‬thaleri‭

Size

Uncertain due to incomplete preservation.

Known locations

Canada,‭ ‬British Columbia.

Time Period

Ypresian of the Eocene.

Fossil representation

Partially preserved specimen.

In Depth

       Palaeoperenethis is genus of nursery web spider that lived in‭ ‬Canada during the Eocene.‭ ‬Nursery web spiders are so named as most members of this group only spin a web‭ ‬to protect their eggs just before they are about to hatch.‭ ‬For the rest of their lives these spiders stalk through vegetation,‭ ‬ambushing prey animals while trying to avoid being eaten themselves by other‭ ‬predators such as small lizards.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A fossil spider‭ (‬Araneae:‭ ‬Pisauridae‭) ‬of Eocene age from Horsefly,‭ ‬British Columbia,‭ ‬Canada.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Contributions to Natural History‭ ‬12:1269-1282.‭ ‬-‭ ‬P.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Selden‭ & ‬D.‭ ‬Penney.‭ ‬-‭ ‬2009.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT