''Amaurobiidae'' is a family of three-clawed cribellate 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. 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 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 numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, they are small to medium-sized entelegyne 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 on metatarsus IV associated with a cribellum. Australian amaurobiids may be distinguished from the Amphinectidae 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 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 ...

'' 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 2016 ...

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

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''), 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

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'' Jocqué, 2001 — South Africa, Lesotho *'' Cybaeopsis'' Strand, 1907 — North America, Asia *'' Dardurus'' Davies, 1976 — Australia *'' Daviesa'' Koçak & Kemal, 2008 — Australia *'' Emmenomma'' Simon, 1884 — Argentina, Chile *'' Hicanodon'' 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 Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ...

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

'' Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand *'' Ovtchinnikovia'' Marusik, Kovblyuk & Ponomarev, 2010 *'' Oztira'' Milledge, 2011 — Australia *'' Parazanomys'' 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'' Simon, 1887 — Chile, Argentina *'' Storenosoma'' Hogg, 1900 — Australia *'' Taira'' Lehtinen, 1967 — China, Japan *'' Tasmabrochus'' Davies, 2002 — Australia *''

'' Davies, 1998 — Australia *'' Teeatta'' Davies, 2005 — Australia *'' Tugana'' Chamberlin, 1948 — Cuba *'' Tymbira'' Mello-Leitão, 1944 — Argentina *'' Urepus'' Roth, 1967 — Peru *'' Virgilus'' Roth, 1967 — Ecuador *'' Wabarra'' Davies, 1996 — Australia *'' Waitetola'' Forster & Wilton, 1973 — New Zealand *'' Yacolla'' Lehtinen, 1967 — Brazil *'' Yupanquia'' Lehtinen, 1967 — Argentina *'' Zanomys'' 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