Anapidae

Anapidae
female Conculus lyugadinus from Okinawa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Araneomorphae
Superfamily: Araneoidea
Family: Anapidae
Simon, 1895
Genera

see text

Diversity
35 genera, 145 species

The Anapidae are a family of rather small spiders with 145 described species in 35 genera. Most species are less than 2 mm long.[1]

In some species (such as Pseudanapis parocula) the pedipalps of the female are reduced to coxal stumps.[1]

Anapidae generally live in leaf litter and moss on the floor of rain forest. Many build orb webs with a diameter of less than 3 cm.[1]

Distribution

Most genera inhabit New Zealand, Australia and Africa. However, several genera occur in Asia (Japan, China, Korea). Only Comaroma simoni and the three species of Zangherella are found in Europe; Gertschanapis shantzi and Comaroma mendocino live in the USA.[2]

Systematics

Although the Micropholcommatidae were synonymized with this family by Schütt (2003), this move was not followed by most researchers.

Genera

male Conoculus lyugadinus

See also

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Murphy & Murphy 2000
  2. Platnick 2008

References

Wikispecies has information related to: Anapidae
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Anapidae.