Microstigmatidae

Microstigmatidae Temporal range: Neogene–present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Xamiatus rubrifrons in Australia
X. rubrifrons in burrow
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Mygalomorphae
Clade:	Avicularioidea
Family:	Microstigmatidae Roewer, 1942
Diversity
12 genera
blue: reported countries (WSC)

Microstigmatidae is a small family of spiders with about 38 described species in eleven genera. They are small ground-dwelling and free-living spiders that make little use of silk. ^[1]

The family was removed from the family Dipluridae in 1981. ^[2] The subfamily Pseudonemesiinae from the family Ctenizidae was also transferred into the Microstigmatidae. ^[3]

Genera

As of January 2026 ^[update] , this family includes twelve genera and 44 species: ^[4]

• Angka Raven & Schwendinger, 1995 – Thailand
• Envia Ott & Höfer, 2004 – Brazil
• Ixamatus Simon, 1887 – Australia
• Kiama Main & Mascord, 1969 – Australia
• Micromygale Platnick & Forster, 1982 – Panama
• Microstigmata Strand, 1932 – South Africa
• Ministigmata Raven & Platnick, 1981 – Brazil
• Pastaza Dupérré & Tapia, 2025 – Ecuador
• Pseudonemesia Caporiacco, 1955 – Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela
• Spelocteniza Gertsch, 1982 – Ecuador
• Tonton Passanha, Cizauskas & Brescovit, 2019 – Brazil
• Xamiatus Raven, 1981 – Australia

References

1. Roewer, C. F. (1942). Katalog der Araneae von 1758 bis 1940. 1. Band (Mesothelae, Orthognatha, Labidognatha: Dysderaeformia, Scytodiformia, Pholciformia, Zodariiformia, Hersiliaeformia, Argyopiformia).
2. Raven, R. J.; Platnick, N. I. (1981). "A revision of the American spiders of the family Microstigmatidae (Araneae, Mygalomorphae)". American Museum Novitates (2707).
3. Passanha, V.; Cizauskas, I.; Brescovit, A. D. (2019). "A new genus of Micromygalinae (Araneae, Microstigmatidae) from Brazil, with transfer of Masteria emboaba Pedroso, Baptista & Bertani, 2015 and description of six new species". ZooKeys (814): 1–32. Bibcode:2019ZooK..814....1P. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.814.29906 . PMC   6333731 . PMID   30651710.
4. "Family Microstigmatidae Roewer, 1942". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2026-01-17.

Bibliography

• Ott, R. & Höfer, H. (2003). Envia garciai, a new genus and species of mygalomorph spiders (Araneae, Microstigmatidae) from Brazilian Amazonia. - Iheringia93: 373–379. PDF
• Indicatti, Rafael P.; Lucas, Sylvia M.; Ott, Ricardo & Brescovit, Antonio D. (2008): Litter dwelling mygalomorph spiders (Araneae: Microstigmatidae, Nemesiidae) from Araucaria forests in southern Brazil, with the description of five new species. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia25(3): 529–546.

External links

• Citizen science observations for Microstigmatidae at iNaturalist