18-496: Deinopidae Uloboridae The Deinopoidea or deinopoids are group of cribellate araneomorph spiders that may be treated as a superfamily . As usually circumscribed , the group contains two families : Deinopidae and Uloboridae . Some studies have produced cladograms in which the Deinopoidea are paraphyletic . A review in 2014 concluded that "at this time the monophyly of Deinopoidea remains dubious". The group
36-494: A focus on the internal structure of arachnids . In 1894 Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitaet awarded him the degree DPhil with a thesis entitled "Ueber den Bau der Phalangidenaugen" ("On the structure of the eyes in the Phalangida "). Purcell returned to South Africa in 1895 and donated his collections of South African Coleoptera (Families Cicindelidae and Carabidae ), and European Coleoptera and Rhynchota , to
54-632: A large area of light-sensitive membrane is manufactured within the eyes, and since arachnid eyes do not have irises, it is rapidly destroyed again at dawn. Two genera formerly included in this family, Avella O. P-Cambridge , 1877 and Avellopsis Purcell , 1904 , are now placed in Menneus . As of October 2023 , the World Spider Catalog accepts the following genera: William Frederick Purcell William Frederick Purcell FRSSAf (18 September 1866 - 3 October 1919)
72-458: A net to ensnare prey. According to one hypothesis, the two groups in which orb-weaving occurs, the cribellate deinopoids and the ecribellate araneoids, make up a single monophyletic group, Orbiculariae , in which orb-weaving evolved. One hypothesis for the relationships involved is summarized in the cladogram below. Eresoidea Palpimanoidea Deinopoidea Araneoidea (broadly defined) Nicodamidae RTA Clade An alternative view
90-479: Is a family of cribellate spiders first described by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1850. It consists of stick-like elongated spiders that catch prey by stretching a web across their front legs before propelling themselves forward. These unusual webs will stretch two or three times their relaxed size, entangling any prey that touch them. The posterior median eyes have excellent night vision, allowing them to cast nets accurately in low-light conditions. These eyes are larger than
108-408: Is characterized by the production of orb webs with catching threads of cribellate silk (i.e. silk made up of very fine threads produced by combing an initial thread using the spider's calamistrum ). Uloborids spin vertical orb webs, very similar in shape to those made by araneids, such as the cross spider . Deinopids initially spin an orb web, which they then suspend between their front legs and use as
126-576: Is that both the Deinopoidea and the Orbiculariae are paraphyletic (i.e. do not form a good taxa). Another hypothesis for the phylogeny of the Entelegynae is shown below (parentheses show the genera included in the study). Eresidae ( Stegodyphus ) Araneoidea Uloboridae ( Philoponella ) Deinopidae ( Deinopis ) Oecobiidae ( Oecobius ) RTA Clade Deinopidae Deinopidae , also known as net casting spiders ,
144-797: Is used to indicate this individual as the author when citing a zoological name . Purcell published mainly in Annals of the South African Museum and the Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society . Some of his publications include: On 24 March 1897, Purcell married Anna Cambier Faure, who was a close South African friend of Olive Schreiner . The Purcell's had three children, Frederick Walter Faure Purcell, Olive Margaretha Deneys Purcell and William Frederick Hertzog Purcell. Anna Purcell
162-463: The Americas . In Florida , Deinopis often hangs upside down from a silk line under palmetto fronds during the day. At night, it emerges to practice its unusual prey capture method on invertebrate prey. Its eyes are able to gather available light more efficiently than the eyes of cats and owls, and are able to do this despite the lack of a reflective layer ( tapetum lucidum ); instead, each night,
180-498: The British Museum had occasionally named spiders sent to them from South African sources. Pocock especially was supplied with unknown specimens from Natal and Rhodesia, many coming from Selmar Schonland , the botany professor at Rhodes University . South Africa is a fertile hunting ground for the study of Mygalomorphae or 4-lunged spiders, and both Purcell and R. W. E. Tucker who succeeded him, were drawn to this group, as
198-403: The South African Museum owing to ill health, although he continued some of his work as honorary keeper at the South African Museum up until 1908. He retired to Bergvliet where he managed the farm on behalf of his family until his death in 1919. He continued to collect specimens of arachnids and insects but his main activity was to create an Herbarium of the farm's natural vegetation. The herbarium
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#1732779670463216-463: The South African Museum. Purcell applied for the position of director of the South African Museum in 1895 following the resignation of Roland Trimen but did not get the post. He took up an appointment as First Assistant at the South African Museum and keeper of the terrestrial invertebrates collection (excluding insects) in 1896, under its new Director, W.L. Sclater . He kept this position until 1905 when he retired owing to poor health. He initiated
234-402: The others, and sometimes makes these spiders appear to only have two eyes. Ogre -faced spiders ( Deinopis ) are the best known genus in this family. The name refers to the perceived physical similarity to the mythological creature of the same name. This family also includes the humped-back spiders ( Menneus ). They are distributed through tropics worldwide from Australia to Africa and
252-469: The systematic study of South African scorpions, including the description of many new species. In 1899 he provided the first description of local Solifugae (Camel spider or Sun spider) and collected a large number of specimens. He was the first South African zoologist to start a systematic study of spiders, devising keys and providing full descriptions of species. Up to that time Arthur Stanley Hirst (1883–1930), Pickard-Cambridge and R. I. Pocock of
270-589: Was J. Hewitt . William and Anna Purcell are an example of husband and wife collaboration in arachnology, the other well-known couple being George and Elizabeth Peckham from the States who worked on South African Salticidae . Purcell was the first zoologist in Africa to make a thorough study of Peripatus . He continued the work of H.N. Moseley , A. Sedgwick and others and described one new genus and three new species . The standard author abbreviation Purcell
288-639: Was a cousin of Barry Hertzog , and her sister Joey married a Smuts . During the South African War (1899-1902) Anna was involved in relief work for Boer women and children. She later became involved in the Cape Women’s Enfranchisement League, of which Schreiner was a high profile member. The Purcells lived on a country estate on the outskirts of Cape Town called Bergvliet. The farm was originally part of W.A. van der Stel's farm Groot Constantia. In 1905 Purcell retired from
306-572: Was an English-born South African arachnologist and zoologist. He is regarded as being the founder of modern araneology in South Africa . Purcell was born in London, England to Dr Walter P.J. Purcell of Waterford, Ireland, and his wife Sophia W.J. Hertzog of Cape Town. In 1868 the family moved to Cape Colony and settled in Cape Town. He spent most of his childhood on the farm Bergvliet, which
324-680: Was owned by his uncle W.F. Hertzog. From 1881, Purcell studied at South African College , Cape Town, matriculated through the University of the Cape of Good Hope (UCGH) in 1884 and received a BA (with Honours) in mathematics and natural science in 1887 from UCGH. In 1885 and 1887 he provided the South African Museum with samples of coleoptera obtained at Bergvliet and Prieska . Purcell continued his education in Germany with
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