Mysmenidae
| Spurred orb-weavers Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| female Microdipoena guttata | |
| male Mysmena | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Mysmenidae Petrunkevitch, 1928 |
| Diversity | |
| 17 genera, 188 species | |
| blue: reported countries (WSC) | |
Mysmenidae is a spider family with about 180 described species in seventeen genera. The family is one of the least well known of the orb-weaving spiders because of their small size (0.76 to 3 mm (0.03 to 0.12 in)) and cryptic behaviour. These spiders are found in humid habitats such as among leaf litter and in caves.[1]
Distribution
Species occur in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, New Guinea and several islands.
Genera
As of January 2026, this family includes seventeen genera and 188 species:[2]
- Brasilionata Wunderlich, 1995 – Brazil
- Chanea Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009 – China
- Chimena Lin & Li, 2022 – China, Taiwan
- Drungena Lin & S. Li, 2023 – China
- Gaoligonga Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009 – China, Vietnam
- Isela Griswold, 1985 – Kenya, South Africa
- Maymena Gertsch, 1960 – St. Vincent, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, United States, Peru
- Mengmena Lin & Li, 2022 – China
- Microdipoena Banks, 1895 – Africa, Asia, Canada, Hawaii, New Guinea, Samoa. Introduced to Democratic Republic of the Congo, Comoros, Ivory Coast
- Mosu Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009 – China
- Mysmena Simon, 1894 – Algeria, St. Helena, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Israel, Spain, North America, Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Niue, Samoa, Galapagos, Guyana, Paraguay, Southern Europe to Azerbaijan
- Mysmeniola Thaler, 1995 – Venezuela
- Mysmenopsis Simon, 1898 – North America, South America
- Phricotelus Simon, 1895 – China, Sri Lanka
- Simaoa Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009 – China
- Trogloneta Simon, 1922 – China, Japan, Canary Islands, Madeira, North America, Brazil
- Yamaneta Miller & Lin, 2019 – China
References
- ^ Lin, Yucheng; Li, Shuqiang (12 May 2013). "Two new species of the genera Mysmena and Trogloneta (Mysmenidae, Araneae) from Southwestern China" (PDF). ZooKeys. Pensoft Publishers. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
- ^ "Family Mysmenidae Petrunkevitch, 1928". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2026-01-17.
- Coyle F.A., Meigs T.E. (1989). "Two new species of kleptoparasitic Mysmenopsis (Araneae, Mysmenidae) from Jamaica" (PDF). Journal of Arachnology. 17 (1): 59–70.
- Coyle F.A., O'Shields T.C. Perlmutter D.G. (1991). "Observations on the behaviour of the kleptoparasitic spider, Mysmenopsis furtiva (Araneae, Mysmenidae)" (PDF). Journal of Arachnology. 19 (1): 62–6.
- Hajer J, Reháková D (2003). "Spinning activity of the spider Trogloneta granulum (Araneae, Mysmenidae): web, cocoon, cocoon handling behaviour, draglines and attachment discs". Zoology (Jena). 106 (3): 223–31. doi:10.1078/0944-2006-00117. PMID 16351906.