Psilodercidae

Last updated

Psilodercidae
Althepus - Franz Anthony - 53866266.jpeg
Althepus sp. in Indonesia
Flexicrurum minutum (10.3897-zookeys.855.34383) Figure 7.jpg
Flexicrurum minutum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Superfamily: Dysderoidea
Family: Psilodercidae
Machado, 1951
Diversity
11 genera, 224 species
Psilodercidae range map.svg
blue: reported countries (WSC)

Psilodercidae is a family of spiders first described as a subfamily of Ochyroceratidae by Machado in 1951 [1] and raised to family rank by J. Wunderlich in 2008. [2] These spiders can be distinguished by the "segestriid positioning" of their six eyes, the absence of leg bristles, strong apical bristles on the cymbium, and several pairs of spermathecae in females. [2]

Contents

This family is relatively unstudied and may change as more information becomes available. In particular, Wunderlich remarked that Psiloderces is too broad and should be split into smaller, more distinct groups. [2]

Genera

As of January 2026, this family includes eleven genera and 224 species: [3]

References

  1. Machado, A. de B. (1951). "Ochyroceratidae (Araneae) de l'Angola". Publicações Culturais da Companhia de Diamantes de Angola. 8.
  2. 1 2 3 Wunderlich, J (2008). "The dominance of ancient spider families of the Araneae: Haplogynae in the Cretaceous, and the late diversification of the advanced ecribellate spiders of the Entelegynae after the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary extinction events, with descriptions of new families". Beiträge zur Araneologie. 5: 524–674, 802–813.
  3. "Family Psilodercidae Machado, 1951". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2026-01-18.