Hickmania_troglodytes
Hickmania
Genus of spiders
Hickmania is a monotypic genus of Australian cribellate araneomorph spiders in the family Gradungulidae, containing only the Tasmanian cave spider (Hickmania troglodytes).[1] The genus was first described by Willis J. Gertsch in 1958,[2] and has been found only in Tasmania. It is the last of an old Gondwanan lineage, long since separated from its closest relatives in South America.[3] It is an icon species for faunal conservation in Tasmania, and is named in honor of V. V. Hickman, a professor at the University of Tasmania, who specialized in spiders. The species name is derived from the Ancient Greek τρωγλοδύτης (troglodytes), meaning "cave-dweller".