Tetrablemmidae, sometimes called armored spiders, is a family of tropical araneomorph spiders first described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1873. It contains around 150 described species in 27 genera from southeast Asia, with a few that occur in Africa and Central and South America.

Pacullidae was incorporated into this family in 1981, but was later restored as a separate family in a 2016 phylogenetic study.

Most species have been collected from litter and soil, including that of epiphytes. Some live in caves and show typical adaptations of cave spiders, such as loss of eyes and weak sclerotization. Members of Tetrablemma only have four eyes, a trait in spiders only found in these and certain members of Caponiidae.

Genera

, this family includes 27 genera and 153 species:

Ablemma Roewer, 1963 – Asia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Caroline Islands Afroblemma Lehtinen, 1981 – Angola, DR Congo, Tanzania Anansia Lehtinen, 1981 – Angola Bacillemma Deeleman-Reinhold, 1993 – Thailand Borneomma Deeleman-Reinhold, 1980 – Indonesia, Malaysia Brignoliella Shear, 1978 – Asia, Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Caroline Islands Caraimatta Lehtinen, 1981 – Guatemala, Mexico, Colombia Choiroblemma Bourne, 1980 – China, India Cuangoblemma Brignoli, 1974 – Angola Fallablemma Shear, 1978 – Indonesia, Samoa Gunasekara Lehtinen, 1981 – Sri Lanka Hexablemma Berland, 1920 – Kenya Indicoblemma Bourne, 1980 – China, Thailand, India Lehtinenia Tong & Li, 2008 – China, Vietnam Maijana Lehtinen, 1981 – Indonesia Mariblemma Lehtinen, 1981 – Seychelles Matta Crosby, 1934 – Mexico, Brazil Micromatta Lehtinen, 1981 – Belize Monoblemma Gertsch, 1941 – Cuba, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Panama, Brazil, Colombia Pahanga Shear, 1979 – Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka Rhinoblemma Lehtinen, 1981 – Caroline Islands Shearella Lehtinen, 1981 – Madagascar, China, India, Sri Lanka Sinamma Lin & Li, 2014 – China Singalangia Lehtinen, 1981 – Indonesia Singaporemma Shear, 1978 – China, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam Sulaimania Lehtinen, 1981 – Malaysia, Singapore Tetrablemma O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1873 – Angola, Seychelles, St. Helena, Asia, Trinidad, Australia, Samoa, Colombia, Venezuela

Extinct genera †Balticoblemma Wunderlich 2004 Bitterfeld, Baltic amber, Eocene †Bicornoculus Wunderlich 2015 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian †Brignoliblemma Wunderlich 2017 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian †Cymbioblemma Wunderlich 2017 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian †Electroblemma Selden et al. 2016 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian †Eogamasomorpha Wunderlich 2008 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian †Longissithorax Wunderlich 2017 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian †Longithorax Wunderlich 2017 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian †Palpalpaculla Wunderlich 2017 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian †Saetosoma Wunderlich 2012 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian †Uniscutosoma Wunderlich 2015 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian

References

External links

Tetrablemmidae Armoured Spiders Tetrablemmidae at arachne.org.au