Theridiidae  Sundevall, 1833 / Platnickina  Koçak & Kemal, 2008   3 species

Platnickina nigropunctata (Lucas, 1846)

Description
Male

Palp small. Characters as in female. Epigastric area bulging.

Body length male: 3 mm
Female

Prosoma whitish, with a black median band, black markings on sides, and a black borderline. Prosoma 1.2-1.4 mm long. Sternum whitish, with one anterior black spot, and 3 dark spots on each side. Chelicerae: promargin without teeth. Legs whitish, anterior femur mottled with black dots, tibia with an apical brown annulation, more or less clear, tibia with one dorsal bristle, metatarsus III with a trichobothrium. Opisthosoma whitish, mottled with black dots, dorsally with a white median band, or with 2 longitudinal series of black spots, ventrally with black spots.

Body length female: 3.1-3.4 mm
Additional information

In shrubs, bushes and in garrigue.

Distribution
  Presence
  No data
Global distribution (WSC 2026): Mediterranean
Phenology
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
 male  female
Figures
Distribution List
Albania   (Vrenozi & Jäger, 2013) ||| Algeria   (Benhacene et al., 2023) ||| Cyprus   (Bosmans et al., 2019c) ||| Egypt   (El-Hennawy, 2017a) ||| France   (Le Peru, 2007) ||| France / Corsica   (Le Peru, 2007) ||| Greece   (Bosmans & Chatzaki, 2005) ||| Greece / Crete   (Bosmans et al., 2013) ||| Italy   (Isaia et al., 2025) ||| Italy / Sicily   (Isaia et al., 2025) ||| Kosovo   (Geci & Naumova, 2021b) ||| Morocco   (Bosmans, unpubl.) ||| Portugal   (Branco et al., 2019) ||| Spain   (Branco et al., 2019) ||| Spain / Balearic Islands   (Branco et al., 2019) ||| Tunisia   (Bosmans, unpubl.) ||| Turkey (Asia)   (Öztürk et al., 2013; Danışman et al., 2025a) |||
References

Barrientos J A, Febrer B (2017) Arañas (Arachnida, Araneae) de Menorca (Islas Baleares, España). Nuevos datos. Revista Ibérica de Aracnología 31: 8-24 pdf

Benhacene R, Adjami A, Hadjeb A, Kermiche K, Ouakid M L (2023) Bibliographic checklist of the Algerian spider fauna (Araneae). Zootaxa 5352: 301-357 pdf

Bosmans R, Chatzaki M (2005) A catalogue of the spiders of Greece – a critical review of all spider species cited from Greece with their localities. Nieuwsbrief van de Belgische arachnologische Vereniging 20 (2, suppl.): 1-124 pdf

Bosmans R, Gavalas I (2023) The spiders (Araneae) of the tiny Greek island Iraklia (Kiklades), with the descriptions of 5 new Harpactea species (Araneae: Dysderidae), 3 species new to Europe and 8 new to Greece. Parnassiana Archives 11 (Suppl. 1): 1-91 pdf

Bosmans R, Van Keer J, Russell-Smith A, Hadjiconstantis M, Komnenov M, Bosselaers J, Huber S, McCowan D, Snazell R, Decae A, Zoumides C, Kielhorn K-H, Oger P (2019c) Spiders of Cyprus (Araneae). A catalogue of all currently known species from Cyprus. Newsletter of the Belgian Arachnological Society 34, Suppl. 1: 1-173 pdf

Bosmans R, Van Keer J, Russell-Smith A, Kronestedt T, Alderweireldt M, Bosselaers J, De Koninck H (2013) Spiders of Crete (Araneae). A catalogue of all currently known species from the Greek island of Crete. Nieuwsbrief van de Belgische Arachnologische Vereniging 28 (Suppl. 1): 1-147 pdf

Bosmans R. (unpubl.) Provisional list of spiders of North Africa. Database excerpt Aug. 2019

Branco V V, Morano E, Cardoso P (2019) An update to the Iberian spider checklist (Araneae). Zootaxa 4614: 201-254 pdf

Danışman T, Kunt K B, Özkütük R S, Coşar İ (2025a) The checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Version 2025 [last updated 01 December 2025], online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info pdf

El-Hennawy H K (2017a) A list of Egyptian spiders (revised in 2017). Serket 15: 167-183 pdf

Geci D, Naumova M (2021b) A preliminary checklist of the spiders of Kosovo (Arachnida: Araneae). Ecologia Balkanica, Special Edition 4: 11-28 pdf

Isaia M, Tolve M, Pantini P (2025) Araneae.it: 2.0: the new updated version of the digital catalog of the Italian spiders and other arachnids (Arachnida: Araneae, Opiliones, Scorpiones, Pseudoscorpiones, Palpigradi, Solifugae). Fragmenta Entomologica 57: 197-204 pdf

Le Peru B (2007) Catalogue et répartition des araignées de France. Revue Arachnologique 16: 1-468 pdf

Lecigne S (2018b) Récits de chasses aranéologiques récentes dans plusieurs départements de France. Redécouverte de Philodromus buchari Kubcová, 2004 (Araneae: Philodromidae) et confirmation de la présence de Theridion harmsi Wunderlich, 2011 (Araneae: Theridiidae). Nieuwsbrief van de Belgische Arachnologische Vereniging 33: 59-99 pdf

Levy G, Amitai P (1982a) The comb-footed spider genera Theridion, Achaearanea and Anelosimus of Israel (Araneae: Theridiidae). Journal of Zoology, London 196: 81-131 pdf

Öztürk N, Danışman T, Tüfekl M, Ulusoy M R (2013) Spider fauna of pomegranate and olive orchards in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of Turkey. Turkish Bulletin of Entomology 3: 67-73 pdf

Vrenozi B, Jäger P (2013) Spiders (Araneae) from Albania and Kosovo in the collection of Carl Friedrich Roewer. Arachnologische Mitteilungen 46: 17-26 pdf

WSC (2026) World Spider Catalog. Version 27. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch (13.2.2026) doi: 10.24436/2 pdf

Updates
17-11-2024 Distribution update Detail
06-02-2024 Image insert
20-06-2021 Distribution insert Detail
20-09-2018 Image insert
30-12-2017 Distribution update Detail
24-10-2014 Distribution update Detail
28-04-2014 Distribution update Detail
15-10-2013 Distribution update Detail