Anapidae is a family of rather small

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 ...

s with 231 described species in 58 genera. It includes the former family Micropholcommatidae as the subfamily Micropholcommatinae, and the former family Holarchaeidae. Most species are less than long. They generally live in leaf litter and moss on the floor of rain forest. Many build orb webs with a diameter less than . In some species, such as '' P. parocula'', 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") an ...

s of the female are reduced to coxal stumps.

Description

Spiders of this family are very small, usually less than two millimeters long, and lack a

cribellum Cribellum literally means "little sieve", and in biology the term generally applies to anatomical structures in the form of tiny perforated plates. In certain groups of diatoms it refers to microscopically punctured regions of the frustule, or o ...

. They can have either six or eight eyes, the rear median eyes either reduced or missing. The carapace is modified so that the eyes are raised higher than usual. Color can range from reddish brown to yellowish brown. Both margins of

chelicerae The chelicerae () are the mouthparts of the subphylum Chelicerata, an arthropod group that includes arachnids, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. Commonly referred to as " jaws", chelicerae may be shaped as either articulated fangs, or similarl ...

have teeth. The legs are short and spineless. The labium has a spur that extends between the chelicerae and can be seen when the chelicerae are spread.

Distribution

Anapidae are found worldwide, particularly in South America, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Few genera occur in North America or Europe. Only '' Comaroma simoni'' and the three species of ''Zangherella'' are found in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

; '' Gertschanapis shantzi'' and '' Comaroma mendocino'' are found in the United States.

Systematics

The family Micropholcommatidae was synonymized with this family by Schütt in 2003 and by Lopa et al. in 2011, a change that has been accepted by 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 ...

. Similarly, the family Holarchaeidae was synonymized by Dimitrov et al. in 2017, and likewise accepted by the World Spider Catalog.

Genera

, the

accepts the following genera: *'' Acrobleps'' Hickman, 1979 — Australia *'' Algidiella'' Rix & Harvey, 2010 — New Zealand *'' Anapis'' Simon, 1895 — South America, Central America, Mexico, Jamaica *'' Anapisona'' Gertsch, 1941 — South America, Central America, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Mexico *'' Austropholcomma'' Rix & Harvey, 2010 — Australia *'' Borneanapis'' Snazell, 2009 — Indonesia *'' Caledanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — New Caledonia *'' Chasmocephalon'' O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889 — Australia *''

Comaroma ''Comaroma'' is a genus of araneomorph spiders in the family Anapidae, first described by Philipp Bertkau Philipp Bertkau (11 January 1849 – 22 October 1894) was a German zoologist born in Cologne. He studied natural sciences at the Univers ...

'' Bertkau, 1889 — Asia, United States *'' Conculus'' Kishida, 1940 — Papua New Guinea, Asia *'' Crassanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Chile, Argentina *'' Crozetulus'' Hickman, 1939 — Africa *'' Dippenaaria'' Wunderlich, 1995 — South Africa *'' Elanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Chile *'' Enielkenie'' Ono, 2007 — Taiwan *'' Eperiella'' Rix & Harvey, 2010 — Chile, Australia *'' Epigastrina'' Rix & Harvey, 2010 — Australia *'' Eterosonycha'' Butler, 1932 — Australia *'' Forsteriola'' Brignoli, 1981 — Burundi, Rwanda, Congo *'' Gaiziapis'' Miller, Griswold & Yin, 2009 — China *'' Gertschanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1990 — United States *'' Gigiella'' Rix & Harvey, 2010 — Australia, Chile *'' Guiniella'' Rix & Harvey, 2010 — Papua New Guinea *'' Hickmanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Australia *'' Holarchaea'' Forster, 1955 — Australia, New Zealand *'' Mandanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — New Caledonia *'' Maxanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Australia *'' Metanapis'' Brignoli, 1981 — Africa, Nepal *'' Micropholcomma'' Crosby & Bishop, 1927 — Australia *'' Minanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Chile, China, Argentina *'' Montanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — New Caledonia *'' Normplatnicka'' Rix & Harvey, 2010 — Australia, Chile *'' Nortanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Australia *'' Novanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — New Zealand *'' Octanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Australia *'' Olgania'' Hickman, 1979 — Australia *'' Paranapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — New Zealand *'' Patelliella'' Rix & Harvey, 2010 — Australia *'' Pecanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Chile *'' Pseudanapis'' Simon, 1905 — Asia, Germany, South America, Africa, Mexico, Central America, Papua New Guinea *'' Pua'' Forster, 1959 — New Zealand *'' Queenslanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Australia *'' Raveniella'' Rix & Harvey, 2010 — Australia *'' Rayforstia'' Rix & Harvey, 2010 — New Zealand, Australia *'' Risdonius'' Hickman, 1939 — Australia *'' Sheranapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Chile *'' Sinanapis'' Wunderlich & Song, 1995 — China, Laos, Vietnam *'' Sofanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Chile *'' Spinanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Australia *'' Taliniella'' Rix & Harvey, 2010 — New Zealand *'' Taphiassa'' Simon, 1880 — Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka *'' Tasmanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Australia *'' Teutoniella'' Brignoli, 1981 — Chile, Brazil *'' Tinytrella'' Rix & Harvey, 2010 — New Zealand *'' Tricellina'' Forster & Platnick, 1989 — Chile *'' Victanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Australia *'' Zangherella'' Caporiacco, 1949 — Europe, Algeria, Turkey *'' Zealanapis'' Platnick & Forster, 1989 — New Zealand

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5868 Araneomorphae families Cosmopolitan spiders

Description

Distribution

Systematics

Genera

See also

References