Impurest's Guide to Animals #63 - Pioma cthulu

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Edited By ImpurestCheese

Today is a sad day, with a heavy heart I have decided to retire my laptop ‘Tosh’ after nine years of service. As such one last task remains for the valiant machine, to write and then post this issue of Impurest’s Guide to Animals. This issue features a creature of Lovecraftian terror, one who opposes the Narwhal (last week’s issue) in a popular meme. Hope you guys enjoy…

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Issue #63 – Pioma cthulhu

[1]
[1]

Kingdom – Animalia

Phylum – Arthropoda

Class – Arachnida

Order – Aranae

Family – Pimoidae

GenusPioma

Species - cthulhu

RelatedSpeciesPioma cthulhu is one of twenty one cave spiders found in the genus Pioma (1)

Range – Pioma cthulhu is found in redwood forests in the Sonoma and Mendocino counties of Western California

All Hail Cthulhu

Pioma Cthulhu is a small spider, which has a cephalothorax length of only three to six millimetres, and a leg span of up to a few centimetres. The body of the male is a dull brown, and the larger female is more of a rusty red colour. Being a former cave dweller, the species is nocturnal, but can be found during the day in man-made structures such as cabins, as well as in hollowed out redwood trees. The main feature of this species are the long legs, in the males case they are covered with long hairs, that gave rise to the word Pioma, a Gosiute Native American word for ‘big legs (2)’.

[2]
[2]

Like the vast majority of spiders, P. cthulhu is a carnivore, feeding off insects that live in the redwood holes it calls home. This species, like others of its genus weaves sheet like webs, to aid in the capture of prey. While few large predators would be able to breach P.cthulu’s tree fortresses, arthropods and amphibians are a different story, and the species is probably predated on by larger spiders and arboreal salamanders.

Reproduction in P. cthulhu is at current, undocumented, but it can be assumed to be similar to other members of the genus Pioma. It is noted that the females of the group, carry their egg sacs around longer than other spiders of a similar size, possibly as a behaviour retained from when the species was found only in caves, where resources were scarce.

Ecology 101: A Guide to Environmental Mechanics #6 – Cave Biota

The word ‘troglodyte’ is often one that is misused to label species found in caves, despite the meaning only referring to humans (Homo sapiens sapiens). A more correct term, for cave dwelling animals is troglofauna, and even then the term is misleading, as not all troglofauna is found in caves. For further clarity troglofauna can be split into three designations (3);

The Cave Racer (Orthriopis taenirus) is the largest permanent troglophile [3]
The Cave Racer (Orthriopis taenirus) is the largest permanent troglophile [3]

Trogloxene – A species that visits caves, but is not complete any of its life-cycle in them

Troglophile – A species that completes most of its life-cycle in a cave, but can be found outside subterranean habitats

Troglobite – A species that lives its entire life-cycle in caves

As such, species commonly associated with caves such as bats, bears, swallows etc., are actually trogloxenes, they visit caves, may even spend prolonged periods of time in them, but they can survive quite comfortably in other environments as well. In addition, the ‘troglodytes’ mentioned earlier are also trogloxenes since they have no real adaptions to living full time in caves. In fact all birds and mammals that are associated with caves are classified as such, the energy deficit found in caves simply can’t support these groups for long.

Troglophiles, on the other hand are species evolving towards becoming full-time troglobites (or occasionally evolving for life on the surface such as Pioma cthuluhu). These species will begin to display features such as reduced eyes, elongated legs and paler skin, as competition for resources is reduced, as is the potential for predation. Over time those species that survive, will become fully fledged troglobites, unable to survive outside their subterranean homes.

This Cave Cricket displays some of the traits that are common in troglofauna [4]
This Cave Cricket displays some of the traits that are common in troglofauna [4]

Because of this extreme specialisation, troglofauna is rarely found outside a few local caves, making these species unique and variable to changes in their environments. That said the pressures of cave living, can lead to convergent evolutions, with troglofauna resembling unrelated species found entire continents away (4). An example of this is the Olm (Proteus anguis) and the Texan Blind Salamander (Eurycea rathbuni), both of whom have evolved reduced eyes and legs and external gills to aid them in cave living. Due to reduced range and genetic diversity, troglofauna is vulnerable to change, and are used as indicators to tell how healthy the surrounding environment is.

Bibliography

1. www.arkive.org

2. Hormiga, G.; Buckle, D. J.; Scharff, N. (2005). "Nanoa, an enigmatic new genus of pimoid spiders from western North America (Pimoidae, Araneae". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society145 (2): 249–262

3. Ormiga, G.; Buckle, D. J.; Scharff, N. (2005). "Nanoa, an enigmatic new genus of pimoid spiders from western North America (Pimoidae, Araneae)". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society145 (2): 249–262

4. Thomas C. Barr, Jr. & John R. Holsinger (1985). "Speciation in cave faunas". Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics16: 313–337

Picture Credits

1. - https://dinnshenchas.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/pimoa-cthulhu.jpg.jpg

2. - http://bugguide.net/images/cache/WKLK6KRKCKGQZS1QT02QHSBQ30AQC0AQTK5KJ0NQBKGKDKIKHSNQCK4KDKVQY0VQY0MKBKHKAKVQAKUQRSWQOKNQTK.jpg

3. - http://www.mountainsbeyond.org/Nature/Reptiles/images/Snakes/CaveRacer.jpg

4. -https://cyntaur23.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/ceuthbg.gif

And as we say farewell to ‘Tosh’ and the creepy ‘Cthulhu Spider’ we can rest assured that a new issue will be arriving next week. But until then critic, comment and suggest a species you want to see as well as check out Impurest’s Bestiary of Past Issues.

Many Thanks

Impurest Cheese

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#2  Edited By Cream_God

Hate caves, I remember watching some video in science class where a bat fell and was swarmed by cockroaches and was eaten alive.

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@cgoodness: Yeah seen that in real life, only it was cave crickets over roaches. Thanks for the comment

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#4  Edited By Darling_Luna

Eeek if he stays in his cave, then me and him are good

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R.I.P Tosh

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Cream_God

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....wash Tosh a Toshiba?

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@darling_luna: He lives in tree caves, is that okay?

@quinnofthestoneage: Thanks, nine years is like ninety years for technology, she served her time proudly with only one computer virus caught and a handful of system crashes

@cgoodness: Yes she was. Got her first year of undergraduate, and together we wrote three dissertations, several ecological reports and a mildly successful series of Thunderbolts

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#11  Edited By ImpurestCheese

@cgoodness: It's a toss up between paying the last bit of my student loan or buying a new laptop. Currently using 'PAD' my PDA although he's getting up there in years, as is my phone (at 6 and 10 respectfully)

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deactivated-5ee15da0e0aad

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Rest in piece, Tosh. My condolences!

Anyways, that's quite the scary bug. Never going in a cave now. This and centipedes. Ewww

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@scorpion2501: Thanks, caves are fun, I go cave diving every year in Slovenia

#olmhunter

@darling_luna: Ah bless, it's only 4mm long, i.e. tiny just like a money spider

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#14 Straight-Fire  Online

Nice as always, Impurest. ^_^

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@impurestcheese: I never heard of someone paying off their loan so early 0-0 was it small?

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@impurestcheese: 9 years!!! That's pretty incredible, I have a Toshiba too :)

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@dboyrules2011: Thanks, have been feeling the arachnids have been a little under-represented, and the name was too much to not pass up.

(especially after last weeks issue)

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Nine years? My last laptop only lasted four.

I'm trying to be as careful as I can with my new one.

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Anything named after Cthulhu is gonna be scary.

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Pioma cthulhu: Gah@darling_luna: is trying to pet me, I'm afraid she may squish me. Time for the ultimate defence...I die (or at least pretend too) LOL =}0{=

@quinnofthestoneage: Thanks, my sat-phone has lasted ten :-)

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@thedandyman: Trust me there are more frightening things out there...

A Bobbit Worm has been recorded eating a puffer fish...and survived. Takes another level in evil
A Bobbit Worm has been recorded eating a puffer fish...and survived. Takes another level in evil

@xwraith: She could keep going, it's just she runs too slowly now, and as such she deserves a rest

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Pioma cthulhu: Don't worry darlingluna: I was only playing dead :-p

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#26 Straight-Fire  Online

@impurestcheese: Ah, that's true. I find spiders to be kind of creepy, but I like this one.

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#27  Edited By ImpurestCheese
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#28  Edited By Straight-Fire  Online
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That Cave Racer creeps me out.

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@impurestcheese: Jesus, thanks for killing my plans to sleep tonight....forever :(

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@rd189: Proud exporter of Nightmare Fuel since 2014. Sorry about the insomnia

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Ugh, I hate spiders and that one looks terrifying

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@veitha: Yep it's not the cutest arachnid out there

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@impurestcheese: Psh, Narwhals would just fly over the forest and zap these puny bugs with their horn lasers.

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#37  Edited By ImpurestCheese
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magnablue

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spider + cuthulu= end of the world

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Was Tosh short for Macintosh?

And holy mother of--! They've taken the most horrifying creature (spider) and given it the most horrifying name in science-fiction (Cthulu)!

This thing shall haunt my nightmares.

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@impurestcheese: Narwhals and Belugas have forged an alliance. The Cthulu spiders be doomed!

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@ostyo: Well Cthulhu spiders are quite rare. Since their discovery in 1994 only a thousand or so have been seen

@jaken7: No Toshiba. And yes they have, welcome to the weird world of nature...

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It must die.

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@thespiritstalker: Long time no see :-). Also why does poor little spider need killing?

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One of the most elegant spiders I've ever seen.

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@ms-lola: Thanks, it has some beautifully long legs indeed