Cyatholipidae is a family of

spider Spiders (order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, 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 ...

s first described by

Eugène Simon Eugène Louis Simon (; 30 April 1848 – 17 November 1924) was a French naturalist who worked particularly on insects and spiders, but also on birds and plants. He is by far the most prolific spider taxonomist in history, describing over 4 ...

in 1894. Most live in moist montane forest, though several species, including '' Scharffia rossi'', live in dry

savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

regions. They occur in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, including

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Afric ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, and one species ('' Pokennips dentipes'') in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

. Most members of this family hang beneath sheet webs. Fossil species occur in the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', ...

aged Bitterfield and Baltic Ambers, suggesting a wider geographic distribution in the past.

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: *'' Alaranea'' Griswold, 1997 — Madagascar *'' Buibui'' Griswold, 2001 — Africa *'' Cyatholipus'' Simon, 1894 — South Africa *'' Forstera'' Koçak & Kemal, 2008 — Australia *'' Hanea'' Forster, 1988 — New Zealand *'' Ilisoa'' Griswold, 1987 — South Africa *'' Isicabu'' Griswold, 1987 — Tanzania, South Africa *'' Kubwa'' Griswold, 2001 — Tanzania *'' Lordhowea'' Griswold, 2001 — Australia *''

Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...

'' Forster, 1988 — Australia *'' Pembatatu'' Griswold, 2001 — Kenya, Tanzania *'' Pokennips'' Griswold, 2001 — South Africa *'' Scharffia'' Griswold, 1997 — Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi *'' Teemenaarus'' Davies, 1978 — Australia *'' Tekella'' Urquhart, 1894 — New Zealand *'' Tekellatus'' Wunderlich, 1978 — Australia *'' Tekelloides'' Forster, 1988 — New Zealand *'' Ubacisi'' Griswold, 2001 — South Africa *'' Ulwembua'' Griswold, 1987 — Madagascar, South Africa, Tanzania *'' Umwani'' Griswold, 2001 — Malawi, Tanzania *'' Uvik'' Griswold, 2001 — Congo, Uganda *'' Vazaha'' Griswold, 1997 — Madagascar *'' Wanzia'' Griswold, 1998 — Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea In addition, 5 fossil genera are known. * †'' Balticolipus'' Wunderlich, 2004 (Bitterfield and Baltic Ambers) * †'' Cyathosuccinus'' Wunderlich, 2004 (Baltic Amber) * †'' Erigolipus'' Wunderlich, 2004 (Baltic Amber) * †'' Spinilipus'' Wunderlich, 1993 (Bitterfield and Baltic Ambers) * †'' Succinilipus'' Wunderlich, 1993 (Bitterfield and Baltic Ambers)

References

Spiders of Africa Spiders of Australia Araneomorphae families {{Araneomorphae-stub

Genera

See also

References