Cyatholipidae is a family of

spider Spiders (order (biology), order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight limbs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude spider silk, silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and ran ...

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 Taxonomy (biology), taxonomist in history, ...

in 1894. Most live in moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

, though several species, including '' Scharffia rossi'', live in dry

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

regions. They occur in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

, including

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

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

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

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'' 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