Tetrablemmidae
Encyclopedia
The Tetrablemmidae are a spider family with 126 described species in 29 genera that occur throughout the world tropics. They are sometimes called armored spiders.
The family Pacullidae, with the only genus Paculla, has been incorporated into this family in 1981.
Most tetrablemmids have been collected from litter and soil, including soil in epiphyte
s; some live in caves. Some cave species, but also some soil inhabitants, show typical adaptations of cave spiders, such as loss of eyes and weak sclerotization .
Spiders in the genus Paculla are four to five times larger than other tetrablemmids. The genus Tetrablemma features only four eyes, a trait only shared with most species of the not closely related Caponiidae
.
Tetrablemmids do not seem to build webs.
.
The family Pacullidae, with the only genus Paculla, has been incorporated into this family in 1981.
Most tetrablemmids have been collected from litter and soil, including soil in epiphyte
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
s; some live in caves. Some cave species, but also some soil inhabitants, show typical adaptations of cave spiders, such as loss of eyes and weak sclerotization .
Spiders in the genus Paculla are four to five times larger than other tetrablemmids. The genus Tetrablemma features only four eyes, a trait only shared with most species of the not closely related Caponiidae
Caponiidae
Spiders of the ecribellate haplogyne family Caponiidae are unusual in that most species have only two eyes, which is unheard of in other spiders. Other species have four, six or eight eyes...
.
Tetrablemmids do not seem to build webs.
Distribution
Most genera occur in Southeast Asia, only a few in Africa and Central and South AmericaSouth 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...
.
Genera
- Ablemma RoewerCarl Friedrich RoewerCarl Friedrich Roewer was a German arachnologist. He concentrated on harvestmen, where he described almost a third of today's known species, but also almost 700 taxa of spiders and numerous Solifugae....
, 1963 (Southeast Asia) - Afroblemma Lehtinen, 1981 (Africa)
- Anansia Lehtinen, 1981 (Africa)
- Bacillemma Deeleman-Reinhold, 1993 (Thailand)
- Borneomma Deeleman-Reinhold, 1980 (Borneo)
- Brignoliella Shear, 1978 (Southeast Asia)
- Caraimatta Lehtinen, 1981 (Central America)
- Choiroblemma Bourne, 1980 (India)
- Cuangoblemma Brignoli, 1974 (Angola)
- Fallablemma Shear, 1978 (Samoa, Sulawesi)
- Gunasekara Lehtinen, 1981 (Sri Lanka)
- Hexablemma BerlandLucien BerlandLucien Berland was a French entomologist and an arachnologist- Partial list of publications :* 1925 : Faune de France...
, 1920 (Kenya) - Indicoblemma Bourne, 1980 (Thailand, India)
- Lamania Lehtinen, 1981 (Southeast Asia)
- Maijana Lehtinen, 1981 (Java)
- Mariblemma Lehtinen, 1981 (Seychelles)
- Matta Crosby, 1934 (Brazil, Mexico)
- Micromatta Lehtinen, 1981 (Belize)
- Monoblemma GertschWillis J. GertschWillis John Gertsch was an American arachnologist. He classified a number of species, including the Brown recluse spider and the Tooth cave spider....
, 1941 (Brazil, Colombia, Panama) - Paculla SimonEugène SimonEugène Simon was a French arachnologist. His many taxonomic contributions include categorizing and naming many spiders, as well as creating genera such as Anelosimus, Psellocoptus and Phlogius....
, 1887 (Southeast Asia) - Pahanga Shear, 1979 (Southeast Asia)
- Perania Thorell, 1890 (Southeast Asia)
- Rhinoblemma Lehtinen, 1981 (Caroline Island)
- Sabahya Deeleman-Reinhold, 1980 (Borneo)
- Shearella Lehtinen, 1981 (Madagascar, Sri Lanka)
- Singalangia Lehtinen, 1981 (Sumatra)
- Singaporemma Shear, 1978 (Vietnam, Singapore)
- Sulaimania Lehtinen, 1981 (Malaysia)
- TetrablemmaTetrablemmaThe spider genus Tetrablemma is unusual in possessing only four eyes, a trait only found elsewhere in most species of the family Caponiidae...
O. P-CambridgeOctavius Pickard-CambridgeThe Reverend Octavius Pickard-Cambridge FRS was an English clergyman and zoologist.Pickard-Cambridge was born in Bloxworth rectory, Dorset, the fifth son of Revd George Pickard, rector and squire of Bloxworth: the family changed their name to Pickard-Cambridge in 1848...
, 1873 (Southeast Asia, Africa, Micronesia)