Leptonetidae
| Leptonetids Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| |
| Tayshaneta anopica | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Leptonetidae Simon, 1890 |
| Diversity | |
| 22 genera, 400 species | |
| |
| blue: reported countries (WSC) | |
Leptonetidae is a family of small spiders adapted to live in dark and moist places such as caves.[1] The family is relatively primitive having diverged around the Middle Jurassic period.[2] They were first described by Eugène Simon in 1890.[3]
Distinguishing characteristics
[edit]Leptonetids are small, with most falling between 2 and 5mm in total length.[2] They are generally pale in color and feature a greenish or bluish shine due to microscopic texture on the cuticle of their exoskeleton.[1] Those species which have retained their eyes, have 6 eyes set in a distinctive pattern, with posterior pair set back from the others. If a spider from this family looses a leg, it usually separates between the patella and tibia rather than at the coxa/trochanter joint. [4]
Habitat
[edit]Many live in caves or in leaf litter around the Mediterranean, and in Eurasia, Japan and southern North America.[5]
Genera
[edit]As of October 2025[update], this family includes 22 genera and 400 species:[5]
- Appaleptoneta Platnick, 1986 – United States
- Barusia Kratochvíl, 1978 – Croatia, Greece, Montenegro
- Calileptoneta Platnick, 1986 – United States
- Cataleptoneta Denis, 1955 – Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece
- Chisoneta Ledford & Griswold, 2011 – Mexico, United States
- Falcileptoneta Komatsu, 1970 – Eastern Asia
- Jingneta Wang & Li, 2020 – China
- Leptoneta Simon, 1872 – Algeria, Korea, Italy, Portugal, Spain, France
- Leptonetela Kratochvíl, 1978 – China, Vietnam, Caucasus, Iran?, Turkey, Greece
- Longileptoneta Seo, 2015 – China, Japan, Korea
- Masirana Kishida, 1942 – Japan, Korea, Taiwan
- Montanineta Ledford & Griswold, 2011 – United States
- Neoleptoneta Brignoli, 1972 – Mexico
- Ozarkia Ledford & Griswold, 2011 – United States
- Paraleptoneta Fage, 1913 – Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, France
- Pararana Lin & Li, 2022 – China
- Protoleptoneta Deltshev, 1972 – Austria, Bulgaria, Italy, Slovenia, France
- Rhyssoleptoneta Tong & Li, 2007 – China
- Sulcia Kratochvíl, 1938 – Southern Europe
- Tayshaneta Ledford & Griswold, 2011 – United States
- Teloleptoneta Ribera, 1988 – Portugal
- Yueleptoneta Tong, 2022 – China
Two genera have been moved to the family Archoleptonetidae:[6]
- Archoleptoneta Gertsch, 1974 — United States
- Darkoneta Ledford & Griswold, 2010 — North America, Central America
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Spiders of the world : a natural history. Norman I. Platnick, Gustavo Hormiga, Peter, Jäger, R. Jocqué, Martín J. Ramírez, Robert J. Raven. Princeton, NJ. 2020. ISBN 978-0-691-20498-7. OCLC 1223249471.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ a b Ledford, Joel; Derkarabetian, Shahan; Ribera, Carles; Starrett, James; Bond, Jason E.; Griswold, Charles; Hedin, Marshal (2021-03-24). "Phylogenomics and biogeography of leptonetid spiders (Araneae : Leptonetidae)". Invertebrate Systematics. 35 (3): 332–349. doi:10.1071/IS20065. ISSN 1447-2600.
- ^ Simon, E. (1890). Etudes arachnologiques.
- ^ Bradley, Richard A. (2012). "FAMILY LEPTONETIDAE • Midget Cave Spiders". Common Spiders of North America. p. 137. doi:10.1525/california/9780520274884.003.0032. ISBN 978-0-520-27488-4.
- ^ a b "Family: Leptonetidae Simon, 1890". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-31.
- ^ "Family: Archoleptonetidae Gertsch, 1974". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
Further reading
[edit]- Gertsch, W.J. (1978). The spider family Leptonetidae in North America. Journal of Arachnology 1:145-203. PDF Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
- Platnick, N.I. (1986). On the tibial and patellar glands, relationships, and American genera of the spider family Leptonetidae (Arachnida, Araneae). American Museum Novitates 2855. PDF
External links
[edit]
 | This article related to araneomorph spiders is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |