Dwarf sheet spiders (Hahniidae) is a family of

araneomorph The Araneomorphae (also called the Labidognatha or "true spiders") are an infraorder of spiders. They are distinguishable by chelicerae (fangs) that point diagonally forward and cross in a pinching action, in contrast to the Mygalomorphae (taran ...

spiders Spiders (order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight limbs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species di ...

, first described by Philipp Bertkau in 1878.

Description

Their bodies are about long, and they build extremely delicate webs in the form of a sheet that does not lead to a retreat. The

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

used in these webs is so fine that they are difficult to spot unless they are coated with dew. They are characterized by the arrangement of their six

spinneret A spinneret is a silk-spinning organ of a spider or the larva of an insect. Some adult insects also have spinnerets, such as those borne on the forelegs of Embioptera. Spinnerets are usually on the underside of a spider's opisthosoma, and ar ...

s in a transverse row. The last segment of the outer spinnerets is quite long and stands out above all the others. They greatly favor locations near water or near moss, and are often found in

leaf litter Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall, or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that has fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituen ...

and detritus or on the leaves of shrubs and trees.

Distribution

Hahniidae are a worldwide family. The genera of the Northern Hemisphere and Africa tend to differ in their genital structures from those of the Southern Hemisphere. Very few species have been described from southeast Asia, although quite a number seem to be yet undescribed.

Name

The family is named after the type genus '' Hahnia'', which is dedicated to

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

Carl Wilhelm Hahn Carl Wilhelm Hahn (Lat. ''Carolus Guilielmus Hahn'', 16 December 1786 – 7 November 1835) was a German zoologist and author of the first German monograph on spiders. C. W. Hahn was an all-round natural scientist – not at all unusual for his ...

Genera

, the

World Spider Catalog The World Spider Catalog (WSC) is an online searchable database concerned with spider taxonomy. It aims to list all accepted families, genera and species, as well as provide access to the related taxonomic literature. The WSC began as a series of ...

accepts the following genera: *'' Alistra'' Thorell, 1894 — Oceania, Asia *'' Amaloxenops'' Schiapelli & Gerschman, 1958 — Argentina *'' Antistea'' Simon, 1898 — North America, Asia *'' Asiohahnia'' Ovtchinnikov, 1992 — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China *'' Austrohahnia'' Mello-Leitão, 1942 — Argentina *'' Cybaeolus'' Simon, 1884 — Chile, Argentina *'' Goblinia'' Lin & Li, 2023 — China *'' Hahnia'' C. L. Koch, 1841 — Africa, Asia, North America, Central America, Europe, South America *'' Hahniharmia'' Wunderlich, 2004 — Europe *'' Harmiella'' Brignoli, 1979 — Brazil *'' Hexamatia'' Rivera-Quiroz, Petcharad & Miller, 2020 — China, Thailand *'' Iberina'' Simon, 1881 — Asia, Europe *'' Intihuatana'' Lehtinen, 1967 — Argentina *'' Kapanga'' Forster, 1970 — New Zealand *''

Kasha In English, kasha usually refers to the pseudocereal buckwheat or its culinary preparations. In Slavic languages, "kasha" means porridge or puree. In some varieties of Eastern European cuisine, ''kasha'' can apply to any kind of cooked grain. I ...

'' Dupérré & Tapia, 2024 — Ecuador *'' Lizarba'' Roth, 1967 — Brazil *'' Myahnia'' Lin & Li, 2023 — Myanmar *'' Neoantistea'' Gertsch, 1934 — North America, Asia, Costa Rica *'' Neoaviola'' Butler, 1929 — Australia *'' Neohahnia'' Mello-Leitão, 1917 — South America, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines *'' Pacifantistea'' Marusik, 2011 — Russia, Japan *'' Paramito'' Dupérré & Tapia, 2024 — Ecuador *'' Porioides'' Forster, 1989 — New Zealand *'' Pristirana'' Dupérré & Tapia, 2024 — Ecuador *'' Rinawa'' Forster, 1970 — New Zealand *'' Scotospilus'' Simon, 1886 — Australia, New Zealand, India *'' Sinahahnia'' Wang & Zhang, 2024 — China *'' Troglohnia'' Lin & Li, 2023 — China *'' Typhlohnia'' Lin & Li, 2023 — China, Laos, and Vietnam

References

External links