Dwarf tarantula
| Dwarf tarantula Temporal range:
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| Illustration of Mecicobothrium thorelli | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Clade: | Atypoidea |
| Family: | Mecicobothriidae Holmberg, 1882[1] |
Dwarf tarantulas, also known as sheet funnel-web spiders, are a type of spider from the family Mecicobothriidae. Dwarf tarantulas are one of several families of the suborder Mygalomorphae; this larger group also includes the true tarantulas.
Description
[edit | edit source]Dwarf tarantulas, as the name indicates, appear very similar to tarantulas, but are physically much smaller. Many specimens are smaller than 1 cm in length, and the largest in the family are rarely bigger than 2 cm. The spiders, like all Mygalomorphae, have downward pointing fangs; dwarf tarantulas also have long spinnerets.
Genera
[edit | edit source]There is currently only one recognized genus in this family:[1]
Mecicobothrium Holmberg, 1882
- Mecicobothrium baccai Lucas et al., 2006 — Brazil
- Mecicobothrium thorelli Holmberg, 1882 — Argentina, Uruguay
Genera moved to other families include:
- Hexura Simon, 1884 → Antrodiaetidae
- Hexurella Gertsch & Platnick, 1979 → Hexurellidae
- Megahexura Kaston, 1972 → Megahexuridae
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- Costa, F.G. & Pérez-Miles, F. (1998). Behavior, life cycle, and webs of Mecicobothrium thorelli, The Journal of Arachnology 26:317-329 PDF Archived 2012-02-04 at the Wayback Machine
- Gertsch, W.G. & Platnick, N.I. (1979). A revision of the spider family Mecicobothriidae (Araneae, Mygalomorphae). American Museum Novitates 2687 PDF (14Mb) - Abstract
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