''Amaurobiidae'' is a family of three-clawed

cribellate Cribellum literally means "little sieve", and in biology the term generally applies to anatomical structures in the form of tiny perforated plates. In certain groups of diatoms it refers to microscopically punctured regions of the frustule, or ...

or ecribellate spiders found in crevices and hollows or under stones where they build retreats, and are often collected in

pitfall trap A pitfall trap is a trapping pit for small animals, such as insects, amphibians and reptiles. Pitfall traps are a sampling technique, mainly used for ecology studies and ecologic pest control. Animals that enter a pitfall trap are unable to esca ...

s. Unlidded burrows are sometimes quite obvious in crusty, loamy soil. They are difficult to distinguish from related spiders in other families, especially

Agelenidae The Agelenidae are a large family of spiders in the suborder Araneomorphae. Well-known examples include the common "grass spiders" of the genus ''Agelenopsis''. Nearly all Agelenidae are harmless to humans, but the bite of the hobo spider (''Erat ...

Desidae Desidae is a family of spiders, some of which are known as intertidal spiders. The family is named for the genus '' Desis'', members of which live in a very unusual location — between the tides. The family has been reevaluated in recent years an ...

and

Amphinectidae Desidae is a family of spiders, some of which are known as intertidal spiders. The family is named for the genus '' Desis'', members of which live in a very unusual location — between the tides. The family has been reevaluated in recent years an ...

. Their intra- and interfamilial relationships are contentious. According to the World Spider Catalog, 2019, the family Amaurobiidae includes about 275 species in 49 genera. In Australia, they are small to medium-sized

entelegyne The Entelegynae or entelegynes are a subgroup of araneomorph spiders, the largest of the two main groups into which the araneomorphs were traditionally divided. Females have a genital plate ( epigynum) and a "flow through" fertilization system; m ...

spiders with minimal sheet webs. They are fairly common in Tasmania and nearby mainland Australia in cooler rainforest, some in caves. They are widespread but uncommon along the eastern coastline. They generally have eight similar eyes in two conservatively curved rows. They often have a

calamistrum In spiders, the calamistrum is a row of specialized leg bristles used to comb out fine bands of silk. It is only found on cribellate spiders, that is, spiders that possess the spinning organ known as the cribellum. The calamistrum and cribellum are ...

on metatarsus IV associated with a

cribellum Cribellum literally means "little sieve", and in biology the term generally applies to anatomical structures in the form of tiny perforated plates. In certain groups of diatoms it refers to microscopically punctured regions of the frustule, or ...

. Australian amaurobiids may be distinguished from the

by the absence of a pretarsal fracture and the presence of a retrocoxal hymen on coxa I.

Reorganization

This family has lost and gained several genera resulting from wide-ranging DNA analysis of spider families. It lost '' Bakala'' and ''

Manjala ''Manjala'' is a genus of Australian intertidal spiders first described by V. T. Davies Valerie Todd Davies (born 29 September 1920 in Makirikiri, near Wanganui, New Zealand, died 29 October 2012 in Brisbane, Queensland) was an arachnologi ...

'' to

, while

Toxopidae Toxopidae is a small family of araneomorph spiders, first described in 1940. For many years it was sunk into Desidae as a subfamily, although doubts were expressed as to whether this was correct. A large-scale molecular phylogenetic study in 201 ...

took in ''

Midgee ''Midgee'' is a genus of Australian Araneomorphae, araneomorph spiders in the family Toxopidae, first described by Valerie Todd Davies, V. T. Davies in 1995. Species it contains nine species: *''Midgee alta'' Davies, 1995 – Australia (Queens ...

'' and the monotypic genus '' Jamara''. In return, it gained some of Australia's medium-sized brown spiders in the former family Amphinectidae, including ''

Tasmabrochus ''Tasmabrochus'' is a genus of Australian tangled nest spiders first described by V. T. Davies Valerie Todd Davies (born 29 September 1920 in Makirikiri, near Wanganui, New Zealand, died 29 October 2012 in Brisbane, Queensland) was an arac ...

'', ''

Tasmarubrius ''Tasmarubrius'' is a genus of Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, an ...

'', and ''

Teeatta ''Teeatta'' is a genus of Australian tangled nest spiders first described by V. T. Davies Valerie Todd Davies (born 29 September 1920 in Makirikiri, near Wanganui, New Zealand, died 29 October 2012 in Brisbane, Queensland) was an arachnolo ...

''), all of which are common in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

and mainland Australia.

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: *''

Altellopsis ''Altellopsis'' is a genus of South American tangled nest spiders containing the single species, ''Altellopsis helveola''. It was first described by Eugène Simon in 1905, and has only been found in Argentina Argentina (), officially t ...

'' Simon, 1905 — Argentina *''

Amaurobius ''Amaurobius'' is a genus of tangled nest spiders that was first described by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1837. Species it contains sixty-seven species: *'' A. agastus'' (Chamberlin, 1947) – USA *'' A. annulatus'' ( Kulczyński, 1906) – Croatia, Mo ...

'' C. L. Koch, 1837 — North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Georgia, Micronesia *''

Anisacate ''Anisacate'' is a genus of South American tangled nest spiders first described by Cândido Firmino de Mello-Leitão Cândido Firmino de Mello-Leitão (July 17, 1886 – December 14, 1948) was a Brazilian zoologist who is considered the fo ...

'' Mello-Leitão, 1941 — Argentina, Chile *''

Arctobius ''Arctobius'' is a genus of tangled nest spiders containing the single species, ''Arctobius agelenoides''. It was first described by Pekka T. Lehtinen Pekka T. Lehtinen (born 1934) is a Finnish arachnology, arachnologist and taxonomy (biolog ...

'' Lehtinen, 1967 — United States, Canada, Russia *''

Auhunga ''Auhunga'' is a genus of South Pacific tangled nest spiders containing the single species, ''Auhunga pectinata''. It was first described by Raymond Robert Forster & C. L. Wilton in 1973, and has only been found in New Zealand New Zea ...

'' Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand *''

Auximella ''Auximella'' is a genus of South American tangled nest spiders first described by Embrik Strand Embrik Strand (2 June 1876 – 3 November 1947) was an entomologist and arachnologist who classified many insect and spider species includin ...

'' Strand, 1908 — Ecuador, Brazil, Peru *''

Callevopsis ''Callevopsis'' is a genus of South American tangled nest spiders containing the single species, ''Callevopsis striata''. It was first described by Albert Tullgren in 1902, and has only been found in Chile and Argentina Argentina (), o ...

'' Tullgren, 1902 — Chile, Argentina *''

Callobius ''Callobius'' is a genus of tangled nest spiders first described by R. V. Chamberlin in 1947. Species it contains thirty-one species with a holarctic The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats fo ...

'' Chamberlin, 1947 — North America, Bulgaria, Asia *''

Cavernocymbium ''Cavernocymbium'' is a genus of North American tangled nest spiders first described by D. Ubick in 2005. it contains only two species, both found in United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the Uni ...

'' Ubick, 2005 — United States *'' Chresiona'' Simon, 1903 — South Africa *''

Chumma ''Chumma'' is a genus of African tangled nest spiders first described by Rudy Jocqué in 2001. They are small, three-clawed spiders with a strong dorsal scutum. They have no fovea, and the posterior and median spinnerets are reduced. The mal ...

'' Jocqué, 2001 — South Africa, Lesotho *''

Cybaeopsis ''Cybaeopsis'' is a genus of Amaurobiidae, tangled nest spiders first described by Embrik Strand in 1907, and transferred from Agelenidae to Amaurobiidae by Pekka T. Lehtinen in 1967. They all occur in North America except for three species; ''C. ...

'' Strand, 1907 — North America, Asia *'' Dardurus'' Davies, 1976 — Australia *''

Daviesa ''Daviesa'' is a genus of Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and nu ...

'' Koçak & Kemal, 2008 — Australia *'' Emmenomma'' Simon, 1884 — Argentina, Chile *''

Hicanodon ''Hicanodon'' is a genus of South American tangled nest spiders containing the single species, ''Hicanodon cinerea''. It was first described by Albert Tullgren in 1901, and has only been found in Chile and Argentina. References External ...

'' Tullgren, 1901 — Chile, Argentina *'' Himalmartensus'' Wang & Zhu, 2008 — Nepal, India *''

Livius ''Livius'' is a genus of South American tangled nest spiders containing the single species, ''Livius macrospinus''. It was first described by V. D. Roth in 1967, and has only been found in Chile. References External links * Amaurobi ...

'' Roth, 1967 — Chile *'' Macrobunus'' Tullgren, 1901 — Chile, Argentina, South Africa *''

Malenella ''Malenella'' is a genus of South American tangled nest spiders containing the single species, ''Malenella nana''. It was first described by M. J. Ramírez in 1995, and has only been found in Chile. This genus was named in honour of María ...

'' Ramírez, 1995 — Chile *'' Maloides'' Forster & Wilton, 1989 — New Zealand *'' Muritaia'' Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand *'' Naevius'' Roth, 1967 — Argentina, Peru, Bolivia *'' Neoporteria'' Mello-Leitão, 1943 — Chile *'' Neuquenia'' Mello-Leitão, 1940 — Argentina *'' Obatala'' Lehtinen, 1967 — South Africa *''

Otira Otira is a small township fifteen kilometres north of Arthur's Pass in the central South Island of New Zealand. It is on the northern approach to the pass, a saddle between the Otira and Bealey Rivers high in the Southern Alps. A possible meanin ...

'' Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand *''

Ovtchinnikovia ''Ovtchinnikovia'' is a genus of Asian tangled nest spiders containing the single species, ''Ovtchinnikovia caucasica''. It was first described by Yuri M. Marusik, M. M. Kovblyuk & A. V. Ponomarev in 2010, and has only been found in Russia. ...

'' Marusik, Kovblyuk & Ponomarev, 2010 *''

Oztira ''Oztira'' is a genus of Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and num ...

'' Milledge, 2011 — Australia *''

Parazanomys ''Parazanomys'' is a genus of North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocea ...

'' Ubick, 2005 — United States *''

Pimus ''Pimus'' is a genus of North American tangled nest spiders first described by R. V. Chamberlin in 1947. Species it contains ten species, all found in United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the ...

'' Chamberlin, 1947 — United States *'' Pseudauximus'' Simon, 1902 — South Africa *'' Retiro'' Mello-Leitão, 1915 — South America, Costa Rica *'' Rhoicinaria'' Exline, 1950 — Colombia, Ecuador *''

Rubrius ''Rubrius'' is a genus of South American tangled nest spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1887. Species it contains seven species found in Chile and Argentina: *''Rubrius annulatus'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1899 – Chile *''Rubri ...

'' Simon, 1887 — Chile, Argentina *'' Storenosoma'' Hogg, 1900 — Australia *''

Taira The Taira was one of the four most important clans that dominated Japanese politics during the Heian, Kamakura and Muromachi Periods of Japanese history – the others being the Fujiwara, the Tachibana, and the Minamoto. The clan is divid ...

'' Lehtinen, 1967 — China, Japan *''

'' Davies, 2002 — Australia *''

'' Davies, 1998 — Australia *''

'' Davies, 2005 — Australia *''

Tugana ''Tugana'' is a genus of Caribbean tangled nest spiders first described by R. V. Chamberlin in 1948. Species it contains four species, found in Cuba and Hispaniola Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ...

'' Chamberlin, 1948 — Cuba *''

Tymbira ''Tymbira'' is a genus of South American tangled nest spiders containing the single species, ''Tymbira brunnea''. It was first described by Cândido Firmino de Mello-Leitão Cândido Firmino de Mello-Leitão (July 17, 1886 – December ...

'' Mello-Leitão, 1944 — Argentina *''

Urepus ''Urepus'' is a genus of South American tangled nest spiders containing the single species, ''Urepus rossi''. It was first described by V. D. Roth in 1967, and has only been found in Peru. References Amaurobiidae Monotypic Araneomorph ...

'' Roth, 1967 — Peru *''

Virgilus ''Virgilus'' is a genus of South American tangled nest spiders containing the single species, ''Virgilus normalis''. It was first described by V. D. Roth in 1967, and has only been found in Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Que ...

'' Roth, 1967 — Ecuador *''

Wabarra ''Wabarra'' is a genus of Australian tangled nest spiders in Queensland first described by V. T. Davies Valerie Todd Davies (born 29 September 1920 in Makirikiri, near Wanganui, New Zealand, died 29 October 2012 in Brisbane, Queensland) wa ...

'' Davies, 1996 — Australia *'' Waitetola'' Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand *'' Yacolla'' Lehtinen, 1967 — Brazil *''

Yupanquia ''Yupanquia'' is a genus of South American tangled nest spiders containing the single species, ''Yupanquia schiapelliae''. It was first described by Pekka T. Lehtinen Pekka T. Lehtinen (born 1934) is a Finnish arachnology, arachnologist a ...

'' Lehtinen, 1967 — Argentina *''

Zanomys ''Zanomys'' is a genus of North American Amaurobiidae, tangled nest spiders first described by Ralph Vary Chamberlin, R. V. Chamberlin in 1948. Species it contains eight species: *''Zanomys aquilonia'' Leech, 1972 – USA, Canada *''Zanomys cal ...

'' Chamberlin, 1948 — United States, Canada

References

External links

Narrated Video of ''A. fenestralis''

Video of Amaurobiid from Ireland
{{Authority control Araneomorphae families

Reorganization

Genera

See also

References

External links