Dipluridae

Funnel-web tarantulas
Temporal range: Norian[1]-Recent
Linothele fallax
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
Family: Dipluridae
Simon, 1889[2]
Genera

See text.

Diversity[3]
24 genera, 185 species
Masteria petrunkevitchi eye pattern

The family Dipluridae, known as curtain-web spiders (or confusingly with other distantly related ones as funnel-web tarantulas[4]) are a group of spiders in the infraorder Mygalomorphae, that have two pairs of booklungs, and chelicerae (fangs) that move up and down in a stabbing motion. A number of genera, including that of the Sydney funnel-web spider (Atrax), used to be classified in this family but have now been moved to Hexathelidae.

Description

Dipluridae lack a rastellum (stout conical spines) on their chelicerae. Their carapace is characterized by the head region not being higher than the thoracic region. Their posterior median spinnerets (silk-extruding organs) are much shorter than their posterior lateral spinnerets, which have three segments, and are elongated (almost as long as their opisthosoma). Most of the species are medium to small-sized spiders, with some, such as the endangered Microhexura montivaga, as small as 3 mm, while others may measure about 15 mm.[5] The cave species Masteria caeca is eyeless.

Biology

Members of this family often build rather messy funnel-webs. Some build silk-lined burrows instead of webs (Diplura, Trechona, some Linothele sp.). They generally build their retreats in crevices in earthen banks, the bark of trees, under logs or in leaf litter.[5]

Distribution

Euagrus species in Guadalajara, Mexico

Dipluridae occur almost worldwide in the tropics. Most are found in Central and South America, and many occur in the Australian region. Indothele is found in India and Sri Lanka. Ischnothele is a neotropical genus, but one species occurs only in India. Several genera are found in Africa, with Thelechoris also occurring in Madagascar. Leptothele and Phyxioschema suthepium are endemic to Thailand, with the other Phyxioschema species found in Central Asia. Masteria is widely distributed, with species found in places such as Central America, Fiji, the Philippines, Queensland and New Guinea.[6]

The common genus in the United States is Euagrus, which builds its webs under stones in wet canyons. It is abundant in such areas as the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona.

Diplurids can be very common in banks and road cuts, such as in Trinidad.

Human interaction

There is no proper proof on the toxicity of their venom, but it is probably wise to avoid direct contact with the larger members (Diplura sp., Harmonicon sp., Linothele sp., and Trechona sp.).

The highly venomous genus Atrax used to be placed in this family, but is now in the Hexathelidae.

Genera

As of October 2016, the World Spider Catalog accepted the following extant (living) genera in the family Dipluridae:[2]

  • Allothele Tucker, 1920
  • Andethele Coyle, 1995
  • Australothele Raven, 1984
  • Caledothele Raven, 1991
  • Carrai Raven, 1984
  • Cethegus Thorell, 1881
  • Chilehexops Coyle, 1986
  • Diplura C. L. Koch, 1850
  • Euagrus Ausserer, 1875
  • Harmonicon F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1896
  • Indothele Coyle, 1995
  • Ischnothele Ausserer, 1875
  • Lathrothele Benoit, 1965
  • Leptothele Raven & Schwendinger, 1995
  • Linothele Karsch, 1879
  • Masteria L. Koch, 1873
  • Microhexura Crosby & Bishop, 1925
  • Namirea Raven, 1984
  • Phyxioschema Simon, 1889
  • Stenygrocercus Simon, 1892
  • Striamea Raven, 1981
  • Thelechoris Karsch, 1881
  • Trechona C. L. Koch, 1850
  • Troglodiplura Main, 1969

Extinct genera and species include:[7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Robert J. Raven, Peter A. Jell and Robert A. Knezour (2015). "Edwa maryae gen. et sp. nov. in the Norian Blackstone Formation of the Ipswich Basin—the first Triassic spider (Mygalomorphae) from Australia". Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology. 39 (2): 259–263. doi:10.1080/03115518.2015.993300.
  2. 1 2 "Family: Dipluridae Simon, 1889", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2016-10-29
  3. ↑ "Currently valid spider genera and species", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2016-10-29
  4. ↑ Raven, R.J. (1985). "The spider Infraorder Mygalomorphae (Araneae): cladistics and systematics". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 182: 1–180.
  5. 1 2 Murphy & Murphy 2000
  6. ↑ Platnick 2008
  7. ↑ Dunlop, J.A.; Penney, D. & Jekel, D. (2016), "A summary list of fossil spiders and their relatives, version 16.5" (PDF), World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2016-10-29

Further reading

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