Euctenizidae

Euctenizidae
Aptostichus sp.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Mygalomorphae
Clade:	Avicularioidea
Family:	Euctenizidae Raven, 1985
Diversity
8 genera, 79 species

The Euctenizidae are a family of mygalomorph spiders. Originally created as a subfamily of Cyrtaucheniidae by Robert Raven in 1985, ^[1] it was established as a family by Bond et al. in 2012. ^[2]

They are now considered to be more closely related to Idiopidae. ^[2]

Biology

Many, but not all, make wafer-like doors to their burrows, while others build the cork-like doors found commonly in the true^{[ clarification needed ]} trapdoor spiders. The biology of nearly all of the species is poorly known.

Distribution

The family occurs almost exclusively in the United States and Mexico. Common U.S. genera include Myrmekiaphila , Aptostichus and Promyrmekiaphila .

Promyrmekiaphila burrow entrance closed, ...

...and opened.

Genera

Main article: List of Euctenizidae species

As of October 2025 ^[update] , this family includes eight genera and 79 species: ^[3]

• Apomastus Bond & Opell, 2002 – United States
• Aptostichus Simon, 1891 – Mexico, United States
• Cryptocteniza Bond & Hamilton, 2020 – United States
• Entychides Simon, 1888 – Guadeloupe, Mexico, United States
• Eucteniza Ausserer, 1875 – Mexico, United States
• Myrmekiaphila Atkinson, 1886 – United States
• Neoapachella Bond & Opell, 2002 – United States
• Promyrmekiaphila Schenkel, 1950 – United States

See also

• List of Euctenizidae species
• Spider families

References

1. Raven, R. J. (1985). "The spider infraorder Mygalomorphae (Araneae): cladistics and systematics". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 182: 1–180.
2. Bond, J. E.; Hendrixson, B. E.; Hamilton, C. A.; Hedin, M. (2012). "A reconsideration of the classification of the spider infraorder Mygalomorphae (Arachnida: Araneae) based on three nuclear genes and morphology". PLOS ONE. 7 (6): 1–11. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...738753B. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0038753 . PMID   22723885.
3. "Family: Euctenizidae Raven, 1985". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2025-10-29.

• Murphy, Frances & Murphy, John (2000): An Introduction to the Spiders of South East Asia. Malaysian Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur.
• Bond, J. E. Phylogenetic treatment and taxonomic revision of the trapdoor spider genus Aptostichus Simon (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Euctenizidae). ZooKeys 252: 1–209.
• Bond, J. E., C. A. Hamilton, N. L. Garrison & C. H. Ray. Phylogenetic reconsideration of Myrmekiaphila systematics with a description of the trapdoor spider species Myrmekiaphila tigris (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Cyrtaucheniidae, Euctenizinae) from Auburn, Alabama. ZooKeys 190: 94–109.

External links

• Citizen science observations for Euctenizidae at iNaturalist