Dwarf sheet spiders (Hahniidae) is a family of

araneomorph The Araneomorphae (also called the Labidognatha) are an infraorder of spiders. They are distinguishable by chelicerae (fangs) that point diagonally forward and cross in a pinching action, in contrast to the Mygalomorphae (tarantulas and their cl ...

spiders 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 dive ...

, 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 University of Bonn, where in 1872 he earned his doctorate. In 1873 he became an assistant at the botanical institute ...

in 1878. Their bodies are about long, and they build extremely delicate webs in the form of a sheet. Unlike many spiders the web does not lead to a retreat. The

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

used in these webs is so fine that they are difficult to spot unless they are coated with dew. They greatly favor locations near water or near moss, and are often found in

leaf litter Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituent ...

and detritus or on the leaves of shrubs and trees.

Description

They are characterized by the arrangement of their six

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 in a transverse row. The last segment of the outer spinnerets is quite long and stands out above all the others.

Distribution

Hahniidae are a worldwide family. The genera of the Northern Hemisphere and Africa tend to differ in their genital structures from those of the Southern Hemisphere. Very few species have been described from southeast Asia, although quite a number seems to be yet undescribed.

Name

The family is named after the type genus '' Hahnia'', which is dedicated to

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

Carl Wilhelm Hahn Carl Wilhelm Hahn (Lat. ''Carolus Guilielmus Hahn'', 16 December 1786 – 7 November 1835) was a German zoologist and author of the first German monograph on spiders. C. W. Hahn was an all-round natural scientist – not at all unusual for his t ...

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: *''

Alistra ''Alistra'' is a genus of dwarf sheet spiders that was first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1894. Species it contains twenty-one species: *'' Alistra annulata'' Zhang, Li & Zheng, 2011 – China *'' Alistra astrolomae'' (Hickman, 1948) – A ...

'' Thorell, 1894 — Oceania, Asia *''

Amaloxenops ''Amaloxenops'' is a genus of South American dwarf sheet spiders that was first described by R. D. Schiapelli & B. S. Gerschman de P. in 1958. it contains only two species, both found in Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine ...

'' Schiapelli & Gerschman, 1958 — Argentina *''

Antistea ''Antistea'' is a genus of dwarf sheet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1898. it contains only two species: '' A. brunnea'' and '' A. elegans''. Combined, they have a Holarctic distribution, one Palearctic and the other Ne ...

'' Simon, 1898 — North America, Asia *''

Asiohahnia ''Asiohahnia'' is a genus of Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eur ...

'' Ovtchinnikov, 1992 — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China *'' Austrohahnia'' Mello-Leitão, 1942 — Argentina *''

Chorizomma ''Chorizomma'' is a monotypic genus of European dwarf sheet spiders containing the single species, ''Chorizomma subterraneum''. It was first described by Eugène Simon in 1872, and has only been found in Spain and France. Originally placed with ...

'' Simon, 1872 — Spain, France *''

Cicurina ''Cicurina'', also called the cave meshweaver, is a genus of dwarf sheet spiders that was first described by Anton Menge in 1871. Originally placed with the funnel weavers, it was moved to the Dictynidae in 1967, then to the Hahniidae in 2017. ...

'' Menge, 1871 — North America, Asia *''

Cybaeolus ''Cybaeolus'' is a genus of South American dwarf sheet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon Eugène Louis Simon (; 30 April 1848 – 17 November 1924) was a French naturalist who worked particularly on insects and spiders, ...

'' Simon, 1884 — Chile, Argentina *'' Hahnia'' C. L. Koch, 1841 — Africa, Asia, North America, Central America, Europe, South America *''

Hahniharmia ''Hahniharmia'' is a genus of spiders in the family Hahniidae Dwarf sheet spiders (Hahniidae) is a family of araneomorph spiders, first described by Philipp Bertkau in 1878. Their bodies are about long, and they build extremely delicate webs ...

'' Wunderlich, 2004 — Europe *'' Harmiella'' Brignoli, 1979 — Brazil *'' Iberina'' Simon, 1881 — Asia, Europe *''

Intihuatana Intihuatana is a ritual stone in South America associated with the astronomic clock or calendar of the Inca. Its name is derived from the local Quechua language. The most notable Intihuantana is an archaeological site located at Machu Picchu in ...

'' Lehtinen, 1967 — Argentina *''

Kapanga ''Kapanga'' is a genus of South Pacific dwarf sheet spiders that was first described by Raymond Robert Forster Raymond Robert Forster (19 June 1922 – 1 July 2000) was a New Zealand arachnologist and museum director. He was a Fellow of th ...

'' Forster, 1970 — New Zealand *'' Lizarba'' Roth, 1967 — Brazil *'' Mastigusa'' Menge, 1854 — France, Hungary *''

Neoantistea ''Neoantistea'' is a genus of dwarf sheet spiders that was first described by Willis J. Gertsch in 1934. Species it contains twenty-five species: *'' Neoantistea agilis'' (Keyserling, 1887) ( type) – USA, Canada *'' Neoantistea alachua'' Ger ...

'' Gertsch, 1934 — North America, Asia, Costa Rica *''

Neoaviola ''Neoaviola'' is a monotypic genus of Australian dwarf sheet spiders containing the single species, ''Neoaviola insolens''. It was first described by Arthur Gardiner Butler in 1929, and has only been found in Australia. It might be a synonym for ...

'' Butler, 1929 — Australia *''

Neohahnia ''Neohahnia'' is a genus of dwarf sheet spiders that was first described by Cândido Firmino de Mello-Leitão in 1917. Species it contains four species: *'' Neohahnia chibcha'' Heimer & Müller, 1988 – Colombia *'' Neohahnia ernsti'' (Simon ...

'' Mello-Leitão, 1917 — South America, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines *''

Pacifantistea ''Pacifantistea'' is a monotypic genus of Asian dwarf sheet spiders containing the single species, ''Pacifantistea ovtchinnikovi''. It was first described by Yuri M. Marusik in 2011, and has only been found in Russia Russia (, , ), or t ...

'' Marusik, 2011 — Russia, Japan *'' Porioides'' Forster, 1989 — New Zealand *''

Rinawa ''Rinawa'' is a genus of South Pacific dwarf sheet spiders that was first described by Raymond Robert Forster in 1970. Species it contains four species, all found in New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in t ...

'' Forster, 1970 — New Zealand *'' Scotospilus'' Simon, 1886 — Australia, New Zealand, India

References

External links