Wafer trapdoor spider
Encyclopedia
The wafer trapdoor spiders (superfamily Cyrtauchenioidea, family Cyrtaucheniidae) are a widespread family of spider
s that lack the thorn-like spines on tarsi
and metatarsi I and II (the two outermost leg segments) found in true trapdoor spider
s (Ctenizidae).
The monotypic Angka hexops has only six eyes, with the posterior median eyes missing. It is up to 15 mm long in both sexes.
, Mexico
, South America
, and Africa
. Common U.S. genera
include Myrmekiaphila
, Aptosticus and Promyrmekiaphila. A currently undescribed genus in the western United States may hold an altitude record for the family, being found up to over 11,000 feet (3,300 meters). The genus Anemesia is found only in Central Asia
, and Cyrtauchenius reaches from Algeria north to Italy, with one species found in the USA. Angka is endemic to the cloud forest
of Doi Inthanon
, Thailand.
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Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s that lack the thorn-like spines on tarsi
Tarsal
Tarsal could refer to:*tarsus *tarsus *superior tarsal muscle...
and metatarsi I and II (the two outermost leg segments) found in true trapdoor spider
Trapdoor spider
Trapdoor spiders are medium-sized mygalomorph spiders that construct burrows with a cork-like trapdoor made of soil, vegetation and silk. Some similar species are also called trapdoor spiders, such as the Liphistiidae, Barychelidae, Cyrtaucheniidae and some Idiopidae and Nemesiidae...
s (Ctenizidae).
Biology
Many, but not all, make wafer-like doors to their burrows, while others build the cork-like doors found commonly in the true trapdoor spiders. The biology of nearly all the species is poorly known.The monotypic Angka hexops has only six eyes, with the posterior median eyes missing. It is up to 15 mm long in both sexes.
Distribution
The family is well represented in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Common U.S. genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
include Myrmekiaphila
Myrmekiaphila
Myrmekiaphila is a genus of trapdoor spiders in the family Cyrtaucheniidae. All described species are endemic to the southeastern USA. The genus was transferred from the Ctenizidae by Raven in 1985. M. flavipes was transferred from genus Aptostichus in 2007.-Description:The known species of this...
, Aptosticus and Promyrmekiaphila. A currently undescribed genus in the western United States may hold an altitude record for the family, being found up to over 11,000 feet (3,300 meters). The genus Anemesia is found only in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
, and Cyrtauchenius reaches from Algeria north to Italy, with one species found in the USA. Angka is endemic to the cloud forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
of Doi Inthanon
Doi Inthanon
Doi Inthanon ) is the highest mountain in Thailand. It is located in Mae Chaem District. The mountain was also known in the past as Doi Luang or Doi Ang Ka, meaning the crow's pond top. Near the mountain's base was a pond where many crows gathered...
, Thailand.
Genera
The categorization into subfamilies follows Raven (1985)- Aporoptychinae Simon, 1889
- Acontius KarschFriedrich KarschFerdinand Karsch or Karsch-Haack was a German arachnologist, entomologist and anthropologist....
, 1879 — AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area... - Ancylotrypa Simon, 1889 — Africa
- Bolostromoides Schiapelli & Gerschman, 1945 — VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
- Bolostromus AussererAnton AussererAnton Ausserer was an Austrian naturalist specialising in spiders.- Selected publications :...
, 1875 — CentralCentral AmericaCentral America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South AmericaSouth AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east... - Fufius Simon, 1888 — Central and South America
- Kiama Main & Mascord, 1969 — AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- Rhytidicolus Simon, 1889 — Venezuela
- Cyrtaucheniinae Simon, 1892
- Cyrtauchenius Thorell, 1869 — Mediterranean
- Euctenizinae Raven, 1985
- Apomastus Bond & Opell, 2002 — USA
- AptostichusAptostichusAptostichus is a genus of wafer trapdoor spiders found predominantly in southern California, USA.-Species:Many Aptostichus species remain to be described....
Simon, 1891 — USA - Entychides Simon, 1888 — USA, MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
- Eucteniza Ausserer, 1875 — USA, Mexico
- Homostola Simon, 1892 — South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
- MyrmekiaphilaMyrmekiaphilaMyrmekiaphila is a genus of trapdoor spiders in the family Cyrtaucheniidae. All described species are endemic to the southeastern USA. The genus was transferred from the Ctenizidae by Raven in 1985. M. flavipes was transferred from genus Aptostichus in 2007.-Description:The known species of this...
Atkinson, 1886 — USA - Neoapachella Bond & Opell, 2002 — USA
- Promyrmekiaphila Schenkel, 1950 — USA
- incertae sedisIncertae sedis, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
- Anemesia PocockReginald Innes PocockReginald Innes Pocock F.R.S. was a British zoologist.Pocock was born in Clifton, Bristol, the fourth son of Rev. Nicholas Pocock and Edith Prichard. He began showing interest in natural history at St. Edward's School, Oxford. He received tutoring in zoology from Sir Edward Poulton, and was allowed...
, 1895 — TurkmenistanTurkmenistanTurkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
, TajikistanTajikistanTajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
, AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world... - Angka Raven & Schwendinger, 1995 — ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...