The Anapidae are a family of rather small spiders with 145 described species in 35 genera. Most species are less than 2 mm long.^[1]

In some species (such as Pseudanapis parocula) the pedipalps of the female are reduced to coxal stumps.^[1]

Anapidae generally live in leaf litter and moss on the floor of rain forest. Many build orb webs with a diameter of less than 3 cm.^[1]

Distribution

Most genera inhabit New Zealand, Australia and Africa. However, several genera occur in Asia (Japan, China, Korea). Only Comaroma simoni and the three species of Zangherella are found in Europe; Gertschanapis shantzi and Comaroma mendocino live in the USA.^[2]

Systematics

Although the Micropholcommatidae were synonymized with this family by Schütt (2003), this move was not followed by most researchers.

Genera

male Conoculus lyugadinus

• Anapis Simon, 1895 — Central to South America
• Anapisona Gertsch, 1941 — Central to South America
• Caledanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — New Caledonia
• Chasmocephalon O. P-Cambridge, 1889 — Australia
• Comaroma Bertkau, 1889 — Europe, USA, China, Korea, Japan
• Conculus Komatsu, 1940 — New Guinea, Korea, Japan
• Crassanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Chile, Argentina
• Crozetulus Hickman, 1939 — Africa
• Dippenaaria Wunderlich, 1995 — South Africa
• Elanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Chile
• Enielkenie Ono, 2007 — Taiwan
• Forsteriola Brignoli, 1981 — Africa
• Gertschanapis Platnick & Forster, 1990 — USA
• Hickmanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Tasmania
• Mandanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — New Caledonia
• Maxanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Australia
• Metanapis Brignoli, 1981 — Africa, Nepal
• Minanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Chile, Argentina
• Montanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — New Caledonia
• Nortanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Australia
• Novanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — New Zealand
• Octanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Australia
• Paranapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — New Zealand
• Pecanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Chile
• Pseudanapis Simon, 1905 — Central and South America, Africa, South Asia, New Guinea, Hong Kong
• Queenslanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Australia
• Risdonius Hickman, 1939 — Australia
• Sheranapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Chile
• Sinanapis Wunderlich & Song, 1995 — China
• Sofanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Chile
• Spinanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Australia
• Tasmanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Tasmania
• Victanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — Australia
• Zangherella Caporiacco, 1949 — Mediterranean
• Zealanapis Platnick & Forster, 1989 — New Zealand

See also

• List of Anapidae species
• Spider families

Footnotes

References

• Ramirez, M.J. & Platnick, N.I. (1999): On Sofanapis antillanca (Araneae, Anapidae) as a kleptoparasite of austrochiline spiders (Araneae, Austrochilidae). Journal of Arachnology 27(2): 547-549. PDF
• Murphy, Frances & Murphy, John (2000): An Introduction to the Spiders of South East Asia. Malaysian Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur.
• Schütt, K. (2003): Phylogeny of Symphytognathidae. Zoologica Scripta 32: 129–151.
• Platnick, Norman I. (2008): The world spider catalog, version 8.5. American Museum of Natural History.

Wikispecies has information related to: Anapidae

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Anapidae

This spider-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e