Cicurinidae

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Cicurinidae
Cicurina cicur 472750168.jpg
Cicurina cicur in France
Cicurina pallida.jpg
Male Cicurina pallida
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Cicurinidae
F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1893 [1]
Genera

See text.

Cicurinidae range map.svg
blue: reported countries (WSC)
green: observation hotspots (iNaturalist)

Cicurinidae is a family of araneomorph spiders.

Taxonomy

The taxon was first described by F. O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1893 as the subfamily Cicurinae. It was resurrected in 2023, with one genus (Brommella) transferred from Dictynidae and two (Chorizomma and Cicurina) from Hahniidae. [2] [1]

Contents

Phylogeny

Chorizomma subterraneum Chorizomma subterraneum - Julien Tchilinguirian - 504055093.jpeg
Chorizomma subterraneum

A 2023 molecular phylogenetic study of the 'marronoid' group of initially nine spider families led to a changed circumscription of some of the families, including two resurrected or new families, Cicurinidae and Macrobunidae. The relationships in the study's maximum likelihood summary tree are shown below. Two genera included in the study, Brommella and Cicurina, were found to form a monophyletic group, distinct from other families, and were placed in the Cicurinidae. (Chorizomma was later included on morphological grounds.) [2]

Marronoid clade

Genera

As of January 2026, this family includes four genera and 183 species: [1]

Diagnosis

Members of the family Cicurinidae can be distinguished from Dictynidae and Hahniidae, as well as other marronoids, by their lack of a cribellum which is replaced by a small colulus with several bristles (setae). Their legs have three tarsal claws without claw tufts. Mature male palps have an enlarged retrolateral tibial apophysis. [2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Family Cicurinidae F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1893". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2026-01-18.
  2. 1 2 3 Gorneau, J.A.; Crews, S.C.; Cala-Riquelme, F.; Montana, K.O.; Spagna, J.C.; Ballarin, F.; Almeida-Silva, L.M. & Esposito, L.A. (2023), "Webs of intrigue: museum genomics elucidate relationships of the marronoid spider clade (Araneae)", Insect Systematics and Diversity, 7 (5): 1–18, doi:10.1093/isd/ixad021