Phrurolithidae Temporal range: | |
---|---|
Otacilia lynx | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
Family: | Phrurolithidae Banks, 1892 |
Diversity | |
24 genera, 360 species |
Phrurolithidae is a family of araneomorph spiders, known as guardstone spiders. The family was first described by Nathan Banks in 1892. [1] First included in the Corinnidae as the subfamily Phrurolithinae, later phylogenetic studies justified a separate family. [2]
As of January 2023 [update] , the World Spider Catalog accepts the following genera: [3]
Ground spiders comprise Gnaphosidae, the seventh largest spider family with over 2,000 described species in over 100 genera distributed worldwide. There are 105 species known to central Europe, and common genera include Gnaphosa, Drassodes, Micaria, Cesonia, Zelotes and many others. They are closely related to Clubionidae. At present, no ground spiders are known to be seriously venomous to humans.
The Agelenidae are a large family of spiders in the suborder Araneomorphae. Well-known examples include the common "grass spiders" of the genus Agelenopsis. Nearly all Agelenidae are harmless to humans, but the bite of the hobo spider may be medically significant, and some evidence suggests it might cause necrotic lesions, but the matter remains subject to debate. The most widely accepted common name for members of the family is funnel weaver.
Linyphiidae, spiders commonly known as sheet weavers, or money spiders is a family of very small spiders comprising 4706 described species in 620 genera worldwide. This makes Linyphiidae the second largest family of spiders after the Salticidae. The family is poorly understood due to their small body size and wide distribution; new genera and species are still being discovered throughout the world. The newest such genus is Himalafurca from Nepal, formally described in April 2021 by Tanasevitch. Since it is so difficult to identify such tiny spiders, there are regular changes in taxonomy as species are combined or divided.
Dictynidae is a family of cribellate, hackled band-producing spiders first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1871. Most build irregular webs on or near the ground, creating a tangle of silken fibers among several branches or stems of one plant.
Cybaeidae is a family of spiders first described by Nathan Banks in 1892. The diving bell spider or water spider Argyroneta aquatica was previously included in this family, but is now in the family Dictynidae.
Pimoidae is a small family of araneomorph spiders first described by J. Wunderlich in 1986. As re-circumscribed in 2021, it is monophyletic, and contained 85 species in two genera. It is closely related to the Linyphiidae, and is sometimes treated as synonymous with that family.
Erigone is a genus of dwarf spiders that was first described by Jean Victoire Audouin in 1826. They are carnivorous, preying on small insects such as psylla and flies. One of the distinctive characters for this genus is the presence of teeth bordering the carapace.
Agyneta is a genus of dwarf spiders that was first described by J. E. Hull in 1911.
Lathys is a genus of cribellate araneomorph spiders in the family Dictynidae, and was first described by Eugène Simon in 1884. It is a replacement name for "Lethia" Menge, 1869 because that name was already in use as a synonym for a genus of moths.
Phrurotimpus is a genus of araneomorph spiders first described by R. V. Chamberlin and Wilton Ivie in 1935. The name is a compound adjective meaning "guarding the stone". Originally added to the Liocranidae, it was moved to the Corinnidae in 2002, then to the Phrurolithidae in 2014. They have red egg sacs that look like flattened discs, often found on the underside of stones.
Lingulatus is a genus of araneomorph spiders in the family Phrurolithidae. It was first described by Mu & Zhang in 2022.
Grandilithus is a genus of araneomorph spiders in the family Phrurolithidae. It was first described by Liu & Li in 2022.
Xilithus is a genus of araneomorph spiders in the family Phrurolithidae. It was first described by Liu & Li in 2023 as a replacement name for Acrolithus.