Mysmenidae is a

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

family with about 135 described species in thirteen genera. The family is one of the least well known of the orb-weaving spiders because of their small size () and

cryptic Cryptic may refer to: In science: * Cryptic species complex, a group of species that are very difficult to distinguish from one another * Crypsis, the ability of animals to blend in to avoid observation * Cryptic era, earliest period of the Earth ...

behaviour. These spiders are found in humid habitats such as among leaf litter and in caves.

Distribution

Species occur in the

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New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

and several islands.

Genera

, the

World Spider Catalog The World Spider Catalog (WSC) is an online searchable database concerned with spider taxonomy. It aims to list all accepted families, genera and species, as well as provide access to the related taxonomic literature. The WSC began as a series of ...

accepts the following genera: *''

Brasilionata ''Brasilionata'' is a genus of Brazilian spiders first described by Wunderlich in 1995. It is represented by a single species, ''B. arborense''. The defining characteristics of this genus include a homogeneous color pattern on the back of the ab ...

'' Wunderlich, 1995 — Brazil *''

Chanea ''Chanea'' is a genus of Chinese spiders in the family Mysmenidae first discovered in 2009. The name is derived from the Chinese word for "coil", referring to the coiled whip-like extension of the palpal bulb The two palpal bulbs – also kno ...

'' Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009 — China *''

Gaoligonga ''Gaoligonga'' is a genus of spiders in the family Mysmenidae Mysmenidae is a spider family with about 135 described species in thirteen genera. The family is one of the least well known of the orb-weaving spiders because of their small size ( ...

'' Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009 — Vietnam *''

Isela ''Isela'' is a genus of spiders in the family Mysmenidae Mysmenidae is a spider family with about 135 described species in thirteen genera. The family is one of the least well known of the orb-weaving spiders because of their small size () and ...

'' Griswold, 1985 — Kenya, South Africa *''

Maymena ''Maymena'' is a genus of spiders in the family Mysmenidae. It was first described in 1960 by Gertsch. , it contains 13 species. Species ''Maymena'' comprises the following species: *''Maymena ambita'' (Barrows, 1940) *''Maymena calcarata'' (Sim ...

'' Gertsch, 1960 — North America, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Central America, Peru *''

Microdipoena ''Microdipoena'' is a cosmopolitan genus of dwarf cobweb weaver spiders in the family Mysmenidae Mysmenidae is a spider family with about 135 described species in thirteen genera. The family is one of the least well known of the orb-weaving spi ...

'' Banks, 1895 — Africa, United States, Paraguay, Asia, Oceania *'' Mosu'' Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009 — China *''

Mysmena ''Mysmena'' is a genus of spiders in the family Mysmenidae, found in many parts of the world. Species , the World Spider Catalog accepted the following species: *'' Mysmena acuminata'' (Marples, 1955) – Samoa *'' Mysmena arcilonga'' Lin & Li, ...

'' Simon, 1894 — Oceania, Asia, Caribbean, North America, Algeria, Spain, South America, Panama *''

Mysmeniola ''Mysmeniola'' is a genus of spiders in the family Mysmenidae Mysmenidae is a spider family with about 135 described species in thirteen genera. The family is one of the least well known of the orb-weaving spiders because of their small size ( ...

'' Thaler, 1995 — Venezuela *''

Mysmenopsis ''Mysmenopsis'' is a kleptoparasitic genus of tiny tropical and subtropical American spiders in the family Mysmenidae. Most live in the funnelwebs of spiders in the family Dipluridae. ''M. archeri'' lives on webs of a species in the family Pholci ...

'' Simon, 1898 — South America, Caribbean, North America, Central America *''

Phricotelus ''Phricotelus stelliger'' is a species of spider of the monotypic genus ''Phricotelus''. It is endemic to Sri Lanka. See also * List of Mysmenidae species This page lists all described species of the spider family Mysmenidae accepted by the ...

'' Simon, 1895 — Sri Lanka *''

Simaoa ''Simaoa'' is a genus of spiders in the family Mysmenidae Mysmenidae is a spider family with about 135 described species in thirteen genera. The family is one of the least well known of the orb-weaving spiders because of their small size () an ...

'' Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009 *''

Trogloneta ''Trogloneta'' is a genus of spurred orb-weavers that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1922. Species it contains twelve species, found in Europe, China, Japan, the United States, and Brazil: *'' Trogloneta canariensis'' Wunderli ...

'' Simon, 1922 — Brazil, Asia, United States

References

* * * Araneomorphae families Taxa named by Alexander Petrunkevitch {{Araneomorphae-stub