Selden P.1,2, Wang Yinan3. 2014. Fossil spiders (Araneae) from the Eocene Green River Formation of Colorado // Arthropoda Selecta. Vol.23. No.2: 207–219 [in English].
1 Paleontological Institute and Department of Geology, University of Kansas, 1475 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA
2 Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK. E-mail: selden@ku.edu
3 P.O. Box 2882, Arlington, Virginia 22202, USA. E-mail: veomega@gmail.com
KEY WORDS: Cenozoic, Hersiliidae, Hersiliola, Miagrammopes, Selenopidae, Thomisidae, Uloboridae, Ypresian.
ABSTRACT. Ten specimens of spiders from the Eocene (c. 49–50 Ma) Parachute Creek Member of the Green River Formation from Colorado are reported. None is sufficiently well preserved to be described as a new taxon. Spiders belonging to the Uloboridae (including Miagrammopes), Hersiliidae (Hersiliola), Selenopidae, and Thomisidae are described and illustrated. These extend the fossil record of Hersiliola, Miagrammopes and Thomisidae. The Parachute Creek Member is a cyclical sequence of oil shales and evaporites which represents intermittent playa lake sediments. The arachnofauna of varied modes of life, possibly from a variety of habitats, was most likely preserved during flash flood episodes.