Nemesiidae is a family of mygalomorph spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1889, and raised to family status in 1985. Before becoming its own family, it was considered part of "Dipluridae". The family is sometimes referred to as wishbone spiders due to the shape of their burrows.
Description
Nemesiidae are relatively large spiders with robust legs and a body that is nearly three times as long as it is wide. They are darkly colored, brown to black, though some have silvery hairs on their carapace. Atmetochilus females can grow over long.
They live in burrows, often with a hinged trapdoor. This door is pushed up while the spider waits for passing prey. They rarely leave their burrows, catching prey and withdrawing as quickly as possible. Some of these burrows have side tubes. For the east-Asian genus Sinopesa it is uncertain whether it builds burrows at all.
Genera
, this family includes ten genera and 195 species:
Amblyocarenum Simon, 1892 – Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, Spain Brachythele Ausserer, 1871 – Turkey, Europe Calisoga Chamberlin, 1937 – United States Damarchilus Siliwal, Molur & Raven, 2015 – India Gravelyia Mirza & Mondal, 2018 – India Iberesia Decae & Cardoso, 2006 – Algeria, Morocco, Portugal, Spain Mexentypesa Raven, 1987 – Mexico Nemesia Audouin, 1826 – Mozambique, Algeria?, Morocco?, China, Europe, Cuba Raveniola Zonstein, 1987 – Asia, Russia Sinopesa Raven & Schwendinger, 1995 – China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam
Transferred to other families:
Acanthogonatus Karsch, 1880 → Pycnothelidae Atmetochilus Simon, 1887 → Bemmeridae Aname L. Koch, 1873 → Anamidae Bayana Pérez-Miles, Costa & Montes de Oca, 2014 → Pycnothelidae Chenistonia Hogg, 1901 → Anamidae Chaco Tullgren, 1905 → Pycnothelidae Chilelopsis Goloboff, 1995 → Pycnothelidae Damarchus Thorell, 1891 → Bemmeridae Diplothelopsis Tullgren, 1905 → Pycnothelidae Entypesa Simon, 1902 → Entypesidae Flamencopsis Goloboff, 1995 → Pycnothelidae Hermacha Simon, 1889 → Entypesidae Hermachura Mello-Leitão, 1923 → Pycnothelidae Hesperonatalius Castalanelli, Huey, Hillyer & Harvey, 2017 → Anamidae Ixamatus Simon, 1887 → Microstigmatidae Kiama Main & Mascord, 1969 → Microstigmatidae Kwonkan Main, 1983 → Anamidae Lepthercus Purcell, 1902 → Entypesidae Longistylus Indicatti & Lucas, 2005 → Pycnothelidae Lycinus Thorell, 1894 → Pycnothelidae Namea Raven, 1984 → Anamidae Neostothis Vellard, 1925 → Pycnothelidae Pionothele Purcell, 1902 → Pycnothelidae Prorachias Mello-Leitão, 1924 → Pycnothelidae Proshermacha Simon, 1908 → Anamidae Psalistopoides Mello-Leitão, 1934 → Pycnothelidae Pselligmus Simon, 1892 → Pycnothelidae Pycnothele Chamberlin, 1917 → Pycnothelidae Rachias Simon, 1892 → Pycnothelidae Spiroctenus Simon, 1889 → Bemmeridae Stanwellia Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918 → Pycnothelidae Stenoterommata Holmberg, 1881 → Pycnothelidae Swolnpes Main & Framenau, 2009 → Anamidae Teyl Main, 1975 → Anamidae Teyloides Main, 1985 → Anamidae Xamiatus Raven, 1981 → Microstigmatidae
Extinct genera †Eodiplurina Petrunkevitch 1922 Florissant Formation, United States, Eocene
References
External links
Further reading Pesarini, C. (1988): Revision of the genus Pycnothele (Araneae, Nemesiidae). J. Arachnol. 16: 281-293. PDF Rafael P. Indicatti & Sylvia M. Lucas (2005): Description of a new genus of Nemesiidae (Araneae, Mygalomorphae) from the Brazilian Cerrado. Zootaxa 1088: 11-16. PDF (Longistylus) Indicatti, Rafael P.; Lucas, Sylvia M.; Ott, Ricardo & Brescovit, Antonio D. (2008): Litter dwelling mygalomorph spiders (Araneae: Microstigmatidae, Nemesiidae) from Araucaria forests in southern Brazil, with the description of five new species. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 25(3): 529-546.