Gradungulidae

Large-clawed spiders
Gradungula sorenseni
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Gradungulidae Forster, 1955
Diversity
8 genera, 18 species
blue: reported countries (WSC) green: observation hotspots (iNaturalist)

Gradungulidae, also known as large-clawed spiders, is a spider family endemic to Australia and New Zealand. They are medium to large-sized haplogyne spiders with three claws and two pairs of book-lungs similar to Mygalomorphae.

Some species build extensive webs with an upper retreat tangle and connecting threads to scaffolding. This supports the ladder-like catching platform that is glued to the ground.

Hickmania , Progradungula (a large spider with long legs like Hickmania, ^[1] ), and Macrogradungula are the only cribellate genera of the family.

Species

As of October 2025 ^[update] , this family includes eight genera and eighteen species: ^[2]

Gradungula Gertsch, 1958

• Gradungula sorenseni Forster, 1955 — New Zealand

Hickmania Forster, 1955

• Hickmania troglodytes (Higgins & Petterd, 1883) — Tasmania

Kaiya Gray, 1987

• Kaiya bemboka Gray, 1987 — New South Wales
• Kaiya brindabella (Moran, 1985) — Australian Capital Territory
• Kaiya parnabyi Gray, 1987 — Victoria
• Kaiya terama Gray, 1987 (type species) — New South Wales

Macrogradungula Gray, 1987

• Macrogradungula moonya Gray, 1987 — Queensland

Pianoa Forster, 1987

• Pianoa isolata Forster, 1987 — New Zealand

Progradungula Forster & Gray, 1979

• Progradungula barringtonensis Michalik & Smith, 2024 – Australia (New South Wales)
• Progradungula carraiensis Forster & Gray, 1979 – Australia (New South Wales) (type species)
• Progradungula otwayensis Milledge, 1997 – Australia (Victoria)

Spelungula Forster, 1987

• Spelungula cavernicola Forster, 1987 — New Zealand

Tarlina Gray, 1987

• Tarlina daviesae Gray, 1987 — Queensland
• Tarlina milledgei Gray, 1987 — New South Wales
• Tarlina noorundi Gray, 1987 (type species) — New South Wales
• Tarlina simipes Gray, 1987 — Queensland
• Tarlina smithersi Gray, 1987 — New South Wales
• Tarlina woodwardi (Forster, 1955) — Queensland

References

1. Forster, R. R.; Gray, M. R. (1979). "Progradungula, a new cribellate genus of the spider family Gradungulidae (Araneae)" . Australian Journal of Zoology . 27 (6): 1051–1071. doi:10.1071/ZO9791051.
2. "Family: Gradungulidae Forster, 1955". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2025-10-29.

• Forster, R. R., Platnick, N. I. and Gray, M. R. (1987): A review of the spider superfamilies Hypochiloidea and Austrochiloidea (Araneae, Araneomorphae). Bulletin of the AMNH185(1): 1-116 Abstract - PDF (50Mb)

External links

• Citizen science observations for Gradungulidae at iNaturalist

• Carrai cave spider Progradungula carraiensis