Micropholcommatidae
Encyclopedia
The Micropholcommatidae are a spider
family with 33 described species in eight genera. Micropholcommatids are extremely small, with body lengths typically between 0.5 and 2 mm. They are usually found among leaf litter or moss.
and Australia
, with two genera (Teutoniella, Tricellina) found in South America
.
by Forster (1959), but again split from it in 1977. Later they were considered to be only one family, namely Micropholcommatidae, by Platnick & Forster (1986). Although they were synonymized with Anapidae
by Schütt (2003), this move was not followed by most authors. The Micropholcommatidae have been assigned to Palpimanoidea
, Archaeoidea
, and at the latest Araneoidea
.
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
family with 33 described species in eight genera. Micropholcommatids are extremely small, with body lengths typically between 0.5 and 2 mm. They are usually found among leaf litter or moss.
Distribution
Almost all genera are endemic to New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, with two genera (Teutoniella, Tricellina) found in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
Taxonomy
The families Micropholcommatidae and Textricellidae were synonymized with the SymphytognathidaeSymphytognathidae
The Symphytognathidae are a spider family with 44 described species in six genera.The minute species Patu digua with its body size of only 0.37mm is considered to be one of the smallest spiders in the world.-Distribution:...
by Forster (1959), but again split from it in 1977. Later they were considered to be only one family, namely Micropholcommatidae, by Platnick & Forster (1986). Although they were synonymized with Anapidae
Anapidae
The Anapidae are a family of rather small spiders with 145 described species in 35 genera. Most species are less than 2 mm long.In some species the pedipalps of the female are reduced to coxal stumps....
by Schütt (2003), this move was not followed by most authors. The Micropholcommatidae have been assigned to Palpimanoidea
Palpimanoidea
The Palpimanoidea are a superfamily of eight-eyed spiders, with three containing families:* Huttoniidae* Palpimanidae* StenochilidaeThe Palpimanoidea are the only spider group with no cribellate members....
, Archaeoidea
Archaeoidea
The Archaeoidea are a superfamily of araneomorph spiders. They contain five families of eight-eyed spiders:* Archaeidae* Holarchaeidae* Mecysmaucheniidae* Micropholcommatidae* Pararchaeidae...
, and at the latest Araneoidea
Araneoidea
The Araneoidea are a superfamily of araneomorph spiders. They contain families of eight-eyed spiders:* Anapidae* Araneidae* Cyatholipidae* Linyphiidae* Mysmenidae* Nephilidae* Nesticidae* Pimoidae* Sinopimoidae* Symphytognathidae* Synaphridae...
.
Genera
- Eterosonycha Butler, 1932 — Australia
- Micropholcomma Crosby & Bishop, 1927 — Australia
- Olgania Hickman, 1979 — Australia
- Parapua ForsterRaymond Robert ForsterRaymond Robert Forster was a spider expert.He wrote his first paper on spiders at the age of 17. He studied at Victoria University...
, 1959 — New Zealand - Pua ForsterRaymond Robert ForsterRaymond Robert Forster was a spider expert.He wrote his first paper on spiders at the age of 17. He studied at Victoria University...
, 1959 — New Zealand - Teutoniella Brignoli, 1981 — Brazil, Chile
- Textricella Hickman, 1945 — New Zealand, Australia
- Tricellina Forster & PlatnickNorman I. PlatnickNorman I. Platnick is an American arachnologist, and the Peter J. Solomon Family Curator of the invertebrate zoology department of the American Museum of Natural History. A 1973 Ph.D...
, 1989 — Chile
Fossil species
In 2007 the first fossil species of this family was described from Early Eocene amber (about 53 million years ago), and classified in subfamily Textricellinae. In contrast to living species it was found in the Northern Hemisphere.- Cenotextricella Penney, 2007
- Cenotextricella simoniCenotextricella simoniCenotextricella simoni is a fossil spider species from Eocene amber from the Paris Basin in France. The male is only about one millimeter long. A female has not yet been discovered. It is the first fossil record of the family Micropholcommatidae, and the only described species in the genus...
Penney, 2007
- Cenotextricella simoni