Dionycha | |
---|---|
Marpissa muscosa | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
Clade: | Entelegynae |
Clade: | Dionycha |
Diversity[1] | |
About 20 families |
The Dionycha are a clade of spiders (Araneomorphae:Entelegynae), characterized by the possession of two tarsal claws with tufts of hairs (setae) beside them, which produce strong adhesion, enabling some species to climb glass.[2] The circumscription of the group has varied widely; a 2021 analysis resulted in about 20 families, including Salticidae (jumping spiders), Gnaphosidae (ground spiders), and Clubionidae.[3]
The Dionycha are considered to be a subgroup of the larger RTA clade.[2] Most species hunt their prey instead of building webs.
There are no cribellate members in the Dionycha.[4]
Today it is thought that the reduction of the third claw present in ancestral spiders evolved several times independently,[1] so this alone is not a criterion that defines the clade.