Theridiidae, also known as the tangle-web spiders, cobweb spiders and comb-footed spiders, is a large family of araneomorph spiders first described by Carl Jakob Sundevall in 1833. This diverse, globally distributed family includes over 3,000 species in 124 genera, and is the most common arthropod found in human dwellings throughout the world.
Miturgidae is a family of araneomorph spiders that includes nearly 170 species in 29 genera worldwide. First described by Eugène Simon in 1886, it has been substantially revised, and includes the previous family Zoridae as a synonym, and excludes the family Xenoctenidae. Several genera have also been removed, such as the large genus Cheiracanthium, which was transferred to the Cheiracanthiidae.
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.
Orb-weaver spiders are members of the spider family Araneidae. They are the most common group of builders of spiral wheel-shaped webs often found in gardens, fields, and forests. The English word "orb" can mean "circular", hence the English name of the group. Araneids have eight similar eyes, hairy or spiny legs, and no stridulating organs.
Oonopidae, also known as goblin spiders, is a family of spiders consisting of over 1,600 described species in about 113 genera worldwide, with total species diversity estimated at 2000 to 2500 species. The type genus of the family is OonopsKeyserling, 1835.
Liocranidae is a family of araneomorph spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1897. They are one of several groups called "sac spiders". The holarctic genus Agroeca is the best-known, but it also includes various genera of more obscure spiders that still lack a diagnosis. Two species in the North American genus Neoanagraphis are found in the extremely dry conditions in the Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. Females live in animal burrows while males wander and are the ones most often caught in pitfall traps.
Orsolobidae is a six-eyed spider family with about 180 described species in thirty genera. It was first described by J. A. L. Cooke in 1965, and was raised to family status from "Dysderidae" in 1985.
Stenochilidae is a family of southeast Asian araneomorph spiders that produce ecribellate silk. First described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1873, it now contains twelve described species in two genera.
Palpimanidae, also known as palp-footed spiders, is a family of araneomorph spiders first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1890. They are widely distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, the Mediterranean and one in Uzbekistan, but not Australia. They are not common and there is a high degree of endemism.
Anapidae is a family of rather small spiders with 232 described species in 58 genera. It includes the former family Micropholcommatidae as the subfamily Micropholcommatinae, and the former family Holarchaeidae. Most species are less than 2 millimetres (0.079 in) long.
Mysmenidae is a spider family with about 180 described species in seventeen genera. The family is one of the least well known of the orb-weaving spiders because of their small size and cryptic behaviour. These spiders are found in humid habitats such as among leaf litter and in caves.
The Micropholcommatinae are a subfamily of araneomorph spiders in the family Anapidae. They were previously treated as the family Micropholcommatidae. Micropholcommatins are extremely small, with body lengths typically between 0.5 and 2 mm. They are usually found among leaf litter or moss.
Patu digua is a very small species of spider. The male holotype and female paratype were collected from Río Digua, near Queremal, Valle del Cauca, in Colombia.
Patu is a genus of dwarf orb-weavers that was first described by Brian John Marples in 1951. Two candidates for the "smallest species of spider", are in this genus, Patu digua and Patu marplesi.
Anapistula is a genus of dwarf orb-weavers that was first described by Carl Eduard Adolph Gerstaecker in 1941.
Curimagua is a genus of dwarf orb-weavers that was first described by Raymond Robert Forster & Norman I. Platnick in 1977. As of September 2019 it contains two species, found in Venezuela and Panama: C. bayano and C. chapmani.
Symphytognatha is a genus of dwarf orb-weavers that was first described by V. V. Hickman in 1931.
Cepheia is a monotypic genus of European araneomorph spiders in the family Synaphridae containing the single species, Cepheia longiseta. It was first described as Theonoe longiseta in 1881, and was moved to its own genus in 1894. Originally placed with the tangle-web spiders, it was moved several times before settling in the Synaphridae in 2003. Paolo Brignoli noted that it is an unidentifiable theridiid.
Patu marplesi is a species of small spiders, endemic to Samoa. It is considered the smallest spider in the world, as male legspan is 0.46 mm.
