Family CTENIZIDAE Thorell, 1887
Compiler and date details
Robert J. Raven, Queensland Museum, PO Box 3300, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101
- Ctenizidae Thorell, 1887.
Introduction
Formerly a very large family, the Ctenizidae were reduced to only a few genera worldwide (Raven 1985) and only one genus (Conothele) in Australia. Conothele builds nests on trees from intertidal margins on the east coast to burrows in the hottest deserts of central Australia. They are vastly under represented in collections and a preliminary taxonomic survey (Raven) indicated that they may pose one of the most severe challenges to taxonomists in species concepts.
Diagnosis
Differ from Idiopidae by the short eye group or the absence of tarsal scopulae, and by the small haematodocha on the male palpal bulb, and from the Cyrtaucheniidae by the strongly spinose distal segments of legs I and II and the biserially dentate chelicerae.
Mygalomorph spiders with the distal segments of legs I and II with lateral bands of short thorn-like spines in females. Outer surface of cheliceral fang smooth. Three claws; paired claws with few or one tooth. Male palpal bulb simple, with pyriform conical distal sclerite; second haematodocha small. Two rows of strong teeth on cheliceral furrows. Apical segment of posterior lateral spinnerets domed. Fovea strongly procurved.
Diagnosis References
Raven, R.J. 1985. The spider infraorder Mygalomorphae (Araneae): Cladistics and Systematics. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 182(1): 1-180 [Date published December 5, 1985] [140]