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AMAUROBIIDAE Hackled-mesh Weavers

Amaurobiids are mostly nondescript, three-clawed spiders found in crevices and hollows or under stones where they build retreats. They have eight eyes in two rows, and are mostly brown in colour. Some augment their burrows with a minimal sheet web. They are often collected in pitfall traps. Unlidded burrows are sometimes quite obvious in crusty, loamy soil, for example Dardarus spp. Some amaurobiids have a cribellum on the underneath of the abdomen for producing woolly, hackled silk. Some species don't have a cribellum. They can be tiny to medium-sized (1 to 12 mm). In recent times Amaurobiidae has lost some genera and gained some others in wide-ranging changes to spider families resulting from DNA analysis. The family lost Bakala and Manjala to Desidae, while Toxopidae took in Jamara and Midgee. Amaurobiidae gained some of Australia's medium-sized brown spiders in the former family Amphinectidae (Tasmabrochus, Tasmarubrius and Teeatta). These genera are fairly common in Tasmania and nearby mainland Australia in cooler rainforests, some in caves. Other genera remaining in Amaurobiidae are widespread but uncommon along the eastern coastline. The genera and numbers of species in Amaurobiidae as of late 2021 were Dardarus (6), Daviesa (2), Oztira (4), Storenosoma (13), Tasmabrochus (3), Tasmarubrius (5), Teeatta (5) and Wabarra (2).

Tasmarubrius sp. Mt Field Tasmania


Amaurobiidae
Photo Greg Anderson

Tasmarubrius sp. Hobart Tasmania


Amaurobiidae
Photo Greg Anderson

Tasmarubrius sp. Gowan Brae Central Highlands, Tasmania


Amaurobiidae
Collected Dr Robert Raven Queensland Museum at Gowan Brae a property of more than six thousand hectares in the Central Highlands of Tasmania. Photo Robert Whyte

Dardurus sp. burrows Whites Hill Greater Brisbane


Amaurobiidae
Photo Robert Raven

Storenosoma female Hill Top NSW


Amaurobiidae
Photo Adam Parsons

Storenosoma male Hill Top NSW


Amaurobiidae
Photo Adam Parsons

References


  • Milledge. Graham 2011 - A Revision of Storenosoma Hogg and Description of a New Genus, Oztira (Araneae: Amaurobiidae)
  • Davies 2003 - TANGANA, A NEW SPIDER GENUS FROM AUSTRALIA (AMAUROBIOIDEA: AMPHINECTIDAE: TASMARUBRIINAEI)
  • Davies 1988 - A revision of the Australian metaltellines (Araneae : Amaurobioidea : Amphinectidae : Metaltellinae) These are now Desidae
 

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