Dwarf sheet spider

dwarf sheet spiders
Temporal range: Palaeogene–present
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Hahniidae
Bertkau, 1878
Diversity
23 genera, 395 species

Dwarf sheet spiders (Hahniidae) is a family of araneomorph spiders, first described by Philipp Bertkau in 1878.[1] Their bodies are about 2 millimetres (0.079 in) long, and they build extremely delicate webs in the form of a sheet. Unlike many spiders the web does not lead to a retreat. The silk used in these webs is so fine that they are difficult to spot unless they are coated with dew. They greatly favor locations near water or near moss, and are often found in leaf litter and detritus or on the leaves of shrubs and trees.[2]

  1. ^ Bertkau, P. (1878). "Versuch einer natürlichen Anordnung der Spinnen, nebst Bemerkungen zu einzelnen Gattungen". Archiv für Naturgeschichte. 44: 351–410.
  2. ^ Murphy, Frances; Murphy, John (2000). An Introduction to the Spiders of South East Asia. Malaysian Nature Society Kuala Lumpur.