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Family AMAUROBIIDAE Thorell, 1870

Introduction

The Amaurobiiidae are small to medium-sized entelegyne spiders that traditionally build expansive sheet webs across the floor of rainforests. As with many families in Australia, the boundaries of the Amaurobiidae are unclear as the genera merge into those often included in the Agelenidae, Desidae or lately the Amphinectidae. That imprecise boundary may help explain why the group is so diverse and, probably, in Australia reaches numbers rivalling the Money Spiders (Linyphiidae) of Europe. Many species and genera remain to be described.

 

Excluded Taxa

Misidentifications

Amaurobiidae: Otira Forster & Wilton, 1973 — Milledge, G.A. 2011. A revision of Storenosoma Hogg and description of a new genus, Oztira (Araneae: Amaurobiidae). Records of the Australian Museum 63(1): 1–32

 

Diagnosis

Small to medium-sized entelegyne spiders that traditionally build expansive sheet webs across the floor of rainforests. Eight similar eyes in two conservatively curved rows. Three claws, usually with a calamistrum on metatarsus IV associated with a cribellum. Amaurobiids may be distinguished from Amphinectidae by the absence of a pre-tarsal fracture and the presence of a retrocoxal hymen on coxa I.

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
15-Oct-2020 ARANEAE 15-Oct-2020 MODIFIED
15-Oct-2020 ARANEOMORPHAE 09-Sep-2020 MODIFIED
15-Oct-2020 ARANEOMORPHAE 15-Oct-2020 MODIFIED
15-Oct-2020 ARANEOMORPHAE 15-Oct-2020 MODIFIED Dr Federica Turco Jurgen Otto
15-Oct-2020 15-Oct-2020 MODIFIED
15-Oct-2020 20-Jun-2012 MODIFIED
12-Feb-2010 (import)