Ursa (spider)

Ursa is a genus of orb-weaver spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1895.^[2]

Ursa
female U. turbinata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Araneidae
Genus:	Ursa Simon, 1895[1]
Type species
U. pulchra Simon, 1895
Species
5, see text

Description

See also: Glossary of spider terms

Ursa are small spiders with a pear-shaped carapace and eyes in two rows. The anterior and posterior median eyes are close together, while lateral and anterior median eyes are larger than posterior lateral eyes. The abdomen is round and decorated with faint whitish markings. The legs are the same colour as the carapace, with leg IV being the shortest and leg I having rows of lined setae.^[3]

Life style

Nothing is known about their behaviour, with some specimens sampled while sweeping grass.^[3]

Species

• 
  Ursa sp. from South Africa
• 
  Ursa sp. from South Africa
• 
  Ursa sp. from South America

As of September 2025^[update], this genus includes five species:^[1]

• Ursa flavovittata Simon, 1909 – Vietnam
• Ursa lunula (Nicolet, 1849) – Chile
• Ursa pulchra Simon, 1895 – Brazil (type species)
• Ursa turbinata Simon, 1895 – South Africa
• Ursa vittigera Simon, 1895 – Sri Lanka