Overview
Taxonomy
The Infraorder Mygalomorphae is a member of the Suborder Opisthothelae. Here is the complete "parentage" of Mygalomorphae:
- Domain: Eukaryota
Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia
Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829
- Subphylum: Arachnomorpha
Heider, 1913
- Infraphylum: Cheliceriformes
- Superclass: Chelicerata
- Class: Arachnida
Cuvier, 1812 - Arachnids
- Subclass: Micrura
- Order: Araneae
Clerck, 1757 - Spiders
- Suborder: Opisthothelae
- Modern Spiders
- Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
- Suborder: Opisthothelae
- Modern Spiders
- Order: Araneae
Clerck, 1757 - Spiders
- Subclass: Micrura
- Class: Arachnida
Cuvier, 1812 - Arachnids
- Superclass: Chelicerata
- Infraphylum: Cheliceriformes
- Subphylum: Arachnomorpha
Heider, 1913
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Kingdom: Animalia
Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
The Infraorder Mygalomorphae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Family (15): Actinopodidae · Antrodiaetidae · Atypidae · Barychelidae · Ctenizidae · Cyrtaucheniidae · Dipluridae · Hexathelidae · Idiopidae · Mecicobothriidae · Microstigmatidae · Migidae · Nemesiidae · Paratropididae · Theraphosidae
Families
Actinopodidae
The spider family Actinopodidae is a family of mygalomorph spiders found in Australia, South America, and Central America. It includes the Australian genus Missulena, known as the mouse spiders, which are quite venomous. [more]
Antrodiaetidae
The folding trapdoor spiders (Antrodiaetidae) are a small spider family with about 30 species in three genera. They are related to the Atypidae (atypical tarantulas). [more]
Atypidae
The atypical tarantulas or purseweb spiders (family Atypidae) consist of only three genera. [more]
Barychelidae
The Brushed trapdoor spiders (family Barychelidae) are a spider family with about 300 species in 44 genera. This family is the only family in superfamily Barycheloidea. [more]
Ctenizidae
Trapdoor spiders (superfamily Ctenizoidea, family Ctenizidae) are medium-sized mygalomorph spiders that construct burrows with a cork-like trapdoor made of soil, vegetation and silk. However, there are also unrelated spider families that are sometimes called trapdoor spiders, such as the Liphistiidae, Barychelidae, Cyrtaucheniidae and some Idiopidae and Nemesiidae. Some Conothele species do not build a burrow, but construct a silken tube with trap-door in bark crevices. [more]
Cyrtaucheniidae
The wafer trapdoor spiders (superfamily Cyrtauchenioidea, 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).
[more]
Dipluridae
Funnel-web tarantulas (super-family Dipluroidea, family Dipluridae), like other mygalomorphs, have two pairs of booklungs and fangs that move roughly parallel to each other and in line with the body axis. [more]
Hexathelidae
The spider family Hexathelidae, the only family in the super-family Hexatheloidea, is one of two families (along with Dipluridae) of spiders known as funnel-web tarantulas. This order is sometimes referred to as the venomous funnel-web tarantulas, due to the inclusion of the Australasian funnel-web spiders, including the notorious Atrax robustus, or Sydney funnel-web spider, but most specimens in Hexathelidae are not dangerous to humans. [more]
Idiopidae
Idiopidae (superfamily Idiopoidea are a mygalomorph spider family. They have a large body that often looks rather like a tarantula. [more]
Mecicobothriidae
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 sub-order Mygalomorphae; this larger group also includes the true tarantulas. [more]
Microstigmatidae
The Microstigmatidae are a small spider family with about thirteen species in seven genera. They are small ground-dwelling and free-living spiders that make little use of silk. [more]
Migidae
The tree trapdoor spiders (Migidae) are a spider family with about 90 species in 10 genera. [more]
Nemesiidae
The Nemesiidae are a spider family of the suborder Mygalomorphae, and the only member of the superfamily Nemesioidea. They were formerly considered part of the Dipluridae family. [more]
Paratropididae
The baldlegged spiders (Paratropididae) are a small spider family with eight species. They are related to tarantulas. [more]
Theraphosidae
Tarantula is the common name for a group of hairy and often very large spiders belonging to the family Theraphosidae, of which approximately 900 species have been identified. Tarantulas hunt prey in both trees and on the ground. All tarantulas can emit silk, whether they be arboreal or terrestrial species. Arboreal species will typically reside in a silken "tube web", and terrestrial species will line their burrows or lairs with web to catch wandering prey. They mainly eat insects and other arthropods, using ambush as their primary method. The biggest tarantulas can kill animals as large as lizards, mice, or birds. Most tarantulas are harmless to humans, and some species are popular in the exotic pet trade while others are eaten as food. These spiders are found in tropical and desert regions around the world. [more]
At least 1,370 species and subspecies belong to the Family Theraphosidae.
More info about the Family Theraphosidae may be found here.
Sources
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