Rank Family | Scientific name Cyrtaucheniidae Higher classification Fornicephalae Order Spider | |
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Lower classifications Aptostichus barackobamai, Aptostichus stephencolberti | ||
The wafer trapdoor spiders, family Cyrtaucheniidae, are a widespread family of spiders that lack the thorn-like spines on tarsi and metatarsi I and II (the two outermost leg segments) found in true trapdoor spiders (Ctenizidae).
Contents
Biology
Many, but not all, make wafer-like doors to their burrows, while others build the cork-like doors found commonly in the true trapdoor spiders. The biology of nearly all the species is poorly known.
The monotypic Angka hexops has only six eyes, with the posterior median eyes missing. It is up to 15 mm long in both sexes.
Distribution
The family is well represented South America, and Africa. A currently undescribed genus in the western United States may hold an altitude record for the family, being found up to over 11,000 feet (3,300 meters). The genus Anemesia is found only in Central Asia, and Cyrtauchenius reaches from Algeria north to Italy, with one species found in the USA. Angka is endemic to the cloud forest of Doi Inthanon, Thailand.
Genera
The former subfamily Euctenizinae from the USA and Mexico were promoted to family rank as Euctenizidae in 2012, and are now considered more closely related to Idiopidae.
As of November 2015, the World Spider Catalog accepted the following genera.