Araneomorphae

Last updated

Araneomorph spiders
Temporal range: Triassic–present
Nephila inaurata1.JPG
Nephila inaurata (Nephilidae)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Opisthothelae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Subdivisions
Diversity
95 families

The Araneomorphae (also called the Labidognatha or "true spiders" [1] ) 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 (tarantulas and their close kin), where they point straight down. Araneomorphs comprise the vast majority (about 93% [2] ) of living spiders.

Contents

Distinguishing characteristics

Most of spider species are Araneomorphae, which have fangs that face towards each other, increasing the orientations they can employ during prey capture. They have fewer, usually one pair of book lungs (when present), and the females typically live one year.

The Mygalomorphae have fangs that face towards the ground, and which are parallel to the long axis of the spider's body, thus they have only one orientation they can employ during prey capture. They have two pairs of book lungs, and the females often live many years. [3]

Spiders included

Almost all of the familiar spiders are included in the Araneomorphae group, one major exception being the tarantulas. There are a few other Mygalomorphae species that live around homes or gardens, but they typically are relatively small and not easily noticed.

The Araneomorphae, to the contrary, include the weavers of spiral webs; the cobweb spiders that live in the corners of rooms, and between windows and screens; the crab spiders that lurk on the surfaces of flowers in gardens; the jumping spiders that are visible hunting on surfaces; the wolf spiders that carpet hunting sites in sunny spots; and the large huntsman spiders.

Systematics

In older schemes, the Araneomorphae were divided into two lineages, the Hypochilae (containing only the family Hypochilidae), and the Neocribellatae. The Neocribellatae were in turn divided into the Austrochiloidea, and the two series Haplogynae and Entelogynae, each containing several superfamilies. Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the haplogynes in particular are not a monophyletic group. A 2020 study suggested the relationships among the major groups were as shown in the following cladogram. [4]

Araneomorphae
Haplogynae

The blue bar to the right shows the former Haplogynae in the sense of Coddington (2005). [5]

Table of families

Key
Genera1≥2≥10≥100
Species1–9≥10≥100≥1000
Araneomorphae families [notes 1]
FamilyGeneraSpeciesCommon nameExample
Agelenidae 901366araneomorph funnel-web spiders Hobo spider
Amaurobiidae 50283tangled nest spiders Callobius claustrarius
Anapidae 58232
Anyphaenidae 58614anyphaenid sac spiders Yellow ghost spider
Araneidae 1843097orb-weaver spiders Zygiella x-notata
Archaeidae 690pelican spiders Madagascarchaea gracilicollis
Archoleptonetidae 28 Archoleptoneta gertschi
Arkyidae 238
Austrochilidae 29 Tasmanian cave spider
Caponiidae 20139 Diploglena capensis
Cheiracanthiidae
(syn. Eutichuridae)
14363 Cheiracanthium mildei
Cithaeronidae 29
Clubionidae 19662sac spiders Clubiona trivialis
Corinnidae 73824dark sac spiders Castianeira sp.
Ctenidae 48532tropical wolf spiders Brazilian wandering spiders
Cyatholipidae 2358
Cybaeidae 21303
Cycloctenidae 880
Deinopidae 367net-casting spiders Rufous net-casting spider
Desidae 60296intertidal spiders Phryganoporus candidus
Dictynidae 53475 Nigma walckenaeri
Diguetidae 215coneweb spiders
Drymusidae 217false violin spiders
Dysderidae 25591woodlouse hunter spiders Woodlouse spider
Eresidae 9102velvet spiders Eresus sandaliatus
Filistatidae 19189crevice weavers Southern house spider
Gallieniellidae 541
Gnaphosidae
(synonym: Ammoxenidae) [notes 2]
1452430flat-bellied ground spiders Drassodes cupreus
Gradungulidae 817large-clawed spiders Carrai cave spider
Hahniidae 24353dwarf sheet spiders
Hersiliidae 16187tree trunk spiders Hersilia savignyi
Homalonychidae 12
Huttoniidae 11 Huttonia palpimanoides
Hypochilidae 233lampshade spiders Hypochilus thorelli
Lamponidae 23192 White-tailed spider
Leptonetidae 22370 Tooth cave spider
Linyphiidae 6244724dwarf / money spiders Linyphia triangularis
Liocranidae 35311liocranid sac spiders
Lycosidae 1272452wolf spiders Lycosa tarantula
Malkaridae 1357shield spiders
Mecysmaucheniidae 725
Megadictynidae 22
Mimetidae 8159pirate spiders Oarces reticulatus
Miturgidae 29141long-legged sac spiders
Myrmecicultoridae 11
Mysmenidae 14158spurred orb-weavers
Nesticidae 18285cave cobweb spiders Nesticella marapu
Nicodamidae 727
Ochyroceratidae 10177midget ground weavers Theotima minutissima
Oecobiidae 6120disc web spiders Oecobius navus
Oonopidae 1151888dwarf hunting spiders Oonops domesticus
Orsolobidae 30188
Oxyopidae 9443lynx spiders Green lynx spider
Pacullidae 438
Palpimanidae 21165palp-footed spiders
Penestomidae 19
Periegopidae 13
Philodromidae 30535philodromid crab spiders Philodromus dispar
Pholcidae 971893daddy long-legs spiders Pholcus phalangioides
Phrurolithidae 20313
Physoglenidae 1372
Phyxelididae 1468
Pimoidae 285 Pimoa cthulhu
Pisauridae 51353nursery web spiders Pisaura mirabilis
Plectreuridae 231
Prodidomidae 23192
Psechridae 261
Psilodercidae 11224
Salticidae 6656433jumping spiders Zebra spider
Scytodidae 4241spitting spiders Scytodes thoracica
Segestriidae 5152tubeweb spiders Segestria florentina
Selenopidae 9262wall spiders Selenops radiatus
Senoculidae 131
Sicariidae 3172recluse spiders Brown recluse
Sparassidae 951337huntsman spiders Avondale spider
Stenochilidae 213
Stiphidiidae 20125 Tartarus mullamullangensis
Symphytognathidae 1098dwarf orb-weavers Patu digua
Synaphridae 313
Synotaxidae 111
Telemidae 16104long-legged cave spiders
Tetrablemmidae 27151armored spiders
Tetragnathidae 46982long jawed orb-weavers Orchard spider
Theridiidae 1252538cobweb spiders Redback spider
Theridiosomatidae 20135ray spiders Theridiosoma gemmosum
Thomisidae 1712167crab spiders Goldenrod spider
Titanoecidae 556 Goeldia obscura
Toxopidae 1482
Trachelidae 20263
Trachycosmidae 20148
Trechaleidae 17133
Trochanteriidae 651
Trogloraptoridae 11 Trogloraptor marchingtoni
Udubidae 415
Uloboridae 19291hackled orb-weavers Uloborus walckenaerius
Viridasiidae 314
Xenoctenidae 433
Zodariidae 891251ant spiders Zodarion germanicum
Zoropsidae 27182 Zoropsis spinimana

Notes

  1. Unless otherwise shown, currently accepted families and counts based on the World Spider Catalog version 23.5 as of 8 August 2022. [6] In the World Spider Catalog, "species" counts include subspecies. Assignment to sub- and infraorders based on Coddington (2005, p. 20) (when given there).
  2. June 2019 data

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mygalomorphae</span> Infraorder of arachnids (spiders)

The Mygalomorphae, or mygalomorphs, are an infraorder of spiders, and comprise one of three major groups of living spiders with over 3,000 species, found on all continents except Antarctica. Many members are known as trapdoor spiders due to their creation of trapdoors over their burrows. Other prominent groups include Australian funnel web spiders and tarantulas, with the latter accounting for around one third of all mygalomorphs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crevice weaver</span> Family of spiders

Crevice weaver spiders (Filistatidae) comprise cribellate spiders with features that have been regarded as "primitive" for araneomorph spiders. They are weavers of funnel or tube webs. The family contains 18 genera and more than 120 described species worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spider taxonomy</span> Science of naming, defining and classifying spiders

Spider taxonomy is that part of taxonomy that is concerned with the science of naming, defining and classifying all spiders, members of the Araneae order of the arthropod class Arachnida with more than 48,500 described species. However, there are likely many species that have escaped the human eye to this day, and many specimens stored in collections waiting to be described and classified. It is estimated that only one third to one half of the total number of existing species have been described.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scytodoidea</span> Superfamily of spiders

Scytodoidea is a taxon of araneomorph spiders, at the rank of superfamily. It contains four families:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leptonetoidea</span> Superfamily of arachnids

The Leptonetoidea are a superfamily of haplogyne araneomorph spiders with three families. Phylogenetic studies have provided weak support for the relationship among the families. The placement of one of the families within the Haplogynae has been questioned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caponioidea</span> Group of spiders

The Caponioidea or caponioids are a group of haplogyne araneomorph spiders that have been treated as superfamily with two members, the families Caponiidae and Tetrablemmidae. Phylogenetic studies from 1991 onwards have shown that the group is not monophyletic, being composed of two basal members of a larger clade. The precise members of that clade differ from study to study; one hypothesis is shown below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dysderoidea</span> Superfamily of spiders

The Dysderoidea are a clade or superfamily of araneomorph spiders. The monophyly of the group, initially consisting of the four families Dysderidae, Oonopidae, Orsolobidae and Segestriidae, has consistently been recovered in phylogenetic studies. In 2014, a new family, Trogloraptoridae, was created for a recently discovered species Trogloraptor marchingtoni. It was suggested that Trogloraptoridae may be the most basal member of the Dysderoidea clade. However, a later study found that Trogloraptoridae was placed outside the Dysderoidea and concluded that it was not part of this clade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deinopoidea</span> Superfamily of spiders

The Deinopoidea or deinopoids are group of cribellate araneomorph spiders that may be treated as a superfamily. As usually circumscribed, the group contains two families: Deinopidae and Uloboridae.

The Dictynoidea or dictynoids are a group of araneomorph spiders that have been treated as a superfamily. The composition of the group has varied. Phylogenetic studies in the 21st century have failed to confirm the monophyly of the dictynoids as originally defined.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titanoecoidea</span> Superfamily of spiders

The Titanoecoidea or titanoecoids are a proposed taxon of araneomorph spiders at the superfamily rank. The taxon contains two families of spiders, Phyxelididae and Titanoecidae. Although some phylogenetic studies have shown these two families to form a clade, other studies have not, placing Titanoecidae outside the RTA clade while Phyxelididae is placed inside it. A 2011 classification of spider families leaves both Phyxelididae and Titanoecidae outside the RTA clade as "unplaced non-Orbiculariae families". The status of the group remains unclear as of December 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austrochiloidea</span> Superfamily of spiders

The Austrochiloidea or austrochiloids are a group of araneomorph spiders, treated as a superfamily. The taxon contains two families of eight-eyed spiders:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haplogynae</span> Infraorder of spiders

The Haplogynae or haplogynes are one of the two main groups into which araneomorph spiders have traditionally been divided, the other being the Entelegynae. Morphological phylogenetic studies suggested that the Haplogynae formed a clade; more recent molecular phylogenetic studies refute this, although many of the ecribellate haplogynes do appear to form a clade, Synspermiata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Entelegynae</span> Clade of spiders

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; males have complex palpal bulbs. Molecular phylogenetic studies have supported the monophyly of Entelegynae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opisthothelae</span> Suborder of spiders

Opisthothelae is a suborder of spiders within the order Araneae, containing Mygalomorphae and Araneomorphae, but excluding Mesothelae. The Opisthothelae are sometimes presented as an unranked clade and sometimes as a suborder of Araneae. In the latter case, Mygalomorphae and Araneomorphae are treated as infraorders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RTA clade</span> Clade of spiders

The RTA clade is a clade of araneomorph spiders, united by the possession of a retrolateral tibial apophysis – a backward-facing projection on the tibia of the male pedipalp. The clade contains over 21,000 species, almost half the current total of about 46,000 known species of spider. Most of the members of the clade are wanderers and do not build webs. Despite making up approximately half of all modern spider diversity, there are no unambiguous records of the group from the Mesozoic and molecular clock evidence suggests that the group began to diversify during the Late Cretaceous.

<i>Hyetussa complicata</i> Species of spider

Hyetussa complicata is a species of jumping spider in the family Salticidae. It is found in the United States.

<i>Spintharus flavidus</i> Species of spider

Spintharus flavidus is a species of cobweb spider in the family Theridiidae. It is found in a range from the United States to Bolivia and Brazil.

<i>Meotipa pulcherrima</i> Species of spider

Meotipa pulcherrima is a species of cobweb spider in the family Theridiidae. It is found in Tropical Africa, and has been introduced into the Americas, Papua New Guinea, China, Korea, Japan, and the Pacific Islands.

Hyetussa alternata is a species of jumping spider in the family Salticidae. It is found in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avicularioidea</span> Clade of spiders

Avicularioidea is a clade of mygalomorph spiders, one of the two main clades into which mygalomorphs are divided. It has been treated at the rank of superfamily.

References

Citations

  1. Coddington, J.A. (2005). "Phylogeny and Classification of Spiders" (PDF). In Ubick, D.; Paquin, P.; Cushing, P.E.; Roth, V. (eds.). Spiders of North America: an identification manual. American Arachnological Society. pp. 18–24. ISBN   978-0-9771439-0-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 December 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  2. Bern, Natural History Museum. "NMBE - World Spider Catalog". research.amnh.org. Retrieved 2023-06-07.
  3. "ABOUT SPIDERS". www.publish.csiro.au. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
  4. Magalhaes, Ivan L. F.; Azevedo, Guilherme H. F.; Michalik, Peter; Ramírez, Martín J. (February 2020). "The fossil record of spiders revisited: implications for calibrating trees and evidence for a major faunal turnover since the Mesozoic". Biological Reviews. 95 (1): 184–217. doi:10.1111/brv.12559. ISSN   1464-7931. PMID   31713947. S2CID   207937170.
  5. Coddington, Jonathan A. (2005). "Phylogeny and classification of spiders" (PDF). In Ubick, D.; Paquin, P.; Cushing, P.E. & Roth, V. (eds.). Spiders of North America: an identification manual. American Arachnological Society. pp. 18–24. Retrieved 2015-09-24.
  6. "Currently valid spider genera and species". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2022-08-08. Currently valid spider genera and species