Telemidae, also known as long-legged cave spiders, is a family of small
haplogyne
The Haplogynae or haplogynes are one of the two main groups into which araneomorph spiders have traditionally been divided, the other being the Entelegynae. Morphological phylogenetic studies suggested that the Haplogynae formed a clade; more recen ...
spiders. Most are cave dwelling spiders with six eyes, though some do not have any eyes at all. There are about 104 described species in sixteen genera.
Physical features
The legs are long, thin, relatively spineless, and do not have
trichobothria
Trichobothria (singular trichobothrium) are elongate setae ("hairs") present in arachnids, various orders of insects, and myriapods that function in the detection of airborne vibrations and currents, and electrical charge. In 1883, Friedrich Dahl ...
. They have three pairs of
spinneret
A spinneret is a silk-spinning organ of a spider or the larva of an insect. Some adult insects also have spinnerets, such as those borne on the forelegs of Embioptera. Spinnerets are usually on the underside of a spider's opisthosoma, and are ...
s, the longest of which is toward the head. Instead of
book lungs
A book lung is a type of respiration organ used for atmospheric gas exchange that is present in many arachnids, such as scorpions and spiders. Each of these organs is located inside an open ventral abdominal, air-filled cavity (atrium) and conn ...
, they have two pairs of tracheal
spiracle Spiracle or spiraculum may refer to:
* Spiracle (arthropods), opening in the exoskeletons of some arthropods
* Spiracle (vertebrates), openings on the surface of some vertebrates
* Spiraculum, a genus of land snails in family Cyclophoridae
Cycl ...
s. The elongate abdomen bears a hardened ridge above the
pedicel
Pedicle or pedicel may refer to:
Human anatomy
*Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures
...
running in a zigzag pattern that is more clearly defined in males than females. The
pedipalp
Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi) are the second pair of appendages of chelicerates – a group of arthropods including spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. The pedipalps are lateral to the chelicerae ("jaws") and ...
on males is oval and bag-like with a thin
spermatophore
A spermatophore or sperm ampulla is a capsule or mass containing spermatozoa created by males of various animal species, especially salamanders and arthropods, and transferred in entirety to the female's ovipore during reproduction. Spermatophores ...
. The female pedipalp does not have a claw.
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:
*''
Apneumonella''
Fage, 1921 — Asia, Africa
*''
Burmalema''
Zhao & Li, 2022 — Myanmar
*''
Cangoderces''
Harington, 1951 — Cameroon, Ivory Coast, South Africa, DR Congo
*''
Guhua''
Zhao & Li, 2017 — Kenya
*''
Jocquella''
Baert, 1980 — Papua New Guinea
*''
Kinku''
Dupérré & Tapia, 2015 — Ecuador
*''
Mekonglema''
Zhao & Li, 2020 — China, Thailand, Laos
*''
Microlema''
Zhao & Li, 2022 — Thailand, Vietnam
*''
Pinelema''
Wang & Li, 2012 — China, Vietnam
*''
Seychellia''
Saaristo, 1978 — Africa
*''
Siamlema''
Zhao & Li, 2020 — Thailand
*''
Sundalema''
Zhao & Li, 2020 — Thailand, Indonesia
*''
Telema''
Simon, 1882 — Asia, Guatemala, Europe
*''
Telemofila''
Wunderlich, 1995 — Singapore, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Indonesia
*''
Usofila''
Keyserling, 1891 — United States
*''
Zhuanlema''
Zhao & Li, 2020 — Laos
See also
*
List of Telemidae species
References
* 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
PDFAbstract
(with info on Telemidae)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q11733
Araneomorphae families