Nemesiidae

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title: "Nemesiidae" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["nemesiidae", "mygalomorphae-families", "extant-eocene-first-appearances"] description: "Family of spiders" topic_path: "general/nemesiidae" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemesiidae" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Family of spiders ::

| name = Nemesiidae | image = Calisoga sp. (Marshal Hedin).jpg | image_caption = Calisoga sp. | image2 = | image2_caption = | fossil_range = | taxon = Nemesiidae | authority = Simon, 1892 | subdivision_ranks = | subdivision = | image_upright = 1.1 | diversity = 10 genera, 154 species | range_map = Nemesiidae range map.svg | range_map_caption = blue: reported countries (WSC) green: observation hotspots (iNaturalist)

Nemesiidae is a family of mygalomorph spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1889, and raised to family status in 1985. Before becoming its own family, it was considered part of "Dipluridae". The family is sometimes referred to as wishbone spiders due to the shape of their burrows.

Description

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/PSM_V38_D201_Burrow_of_spider_leptopelma_cavicula.jpg" caption="Burrow of ''[[Nemesia cavicola]]''"] ::

Nemesiidae are relatively large spiders with robust legs and a body that is nearly three times as long as it is wide. They are darkly colored, brown to black, though some have silvery hairs on their carapace. Atmetochilus females can grow over 4 cm long.

They live in burrows, often with a hinged trapdoor. This door is pushed up while the spider waits for passing prey. They rarely leave their burrows, catching prey and withdrawing as quickly as possible. Some of these burrows have side tubes. For the east-Asian genus Sinopesa it is uncertain whether it builds burrows at all.

Genera

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Raveniola_chayi_female_paratype.jpg" caption="''Raveniola chayi'', female"] ::

, this family includes ten genera and 195 species:

• Amblyocarenum Simon, 1892 – Algeria, Tunisia, Italy, Spain
• Brachythele Ausserer, 1871 – Turkey, Europe
• Calisoga Chamberlin, 1937 – United States
• Damarchilus Siliwal, Molur & Raven, 2015 – India
• Gravelyia Mirza & Mondal, 2018 – India
• Iberesia Decae & Cardoso, 2006 – Algeria, Morocco, Portugal, Spain
• Mexentypesa Raven, 1987 – Mexico
• Nemesia Audouin, 1826 – Mozambique, Algeria?, Morocco?, China, Europe, Cuba
• Raveniola Zonstein, 1987 – Asia, Russia
• Sinopesa Raven & Schwendinger, 1995 – China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam

Transferred to other families:

• Acanthogonatus Karsch, 1880 → Pycnothelidae
• Atmetochilus Simon, 1887 → Bemmeridae
• Aname L. Koch, 1873 → Anamidae
• Bayana Pérez-Miles, Costa & Montes de Oca, 2014 → Pycnothelidae
• Chenistonia Hogg, 1901 → Anamidae
• Chaco Tullgren, 1905 → Pycnothelidae
• Chilelopsis Goloboff, 1995 → Pycnothelidae
• Damarchus Thorell, 1891 → Bemmeridae
• Diplothelopsis Tullgren, 1905 → Pycnothelidae
• Entypesa Simon, 1902 → Entypesidae
• Flamencopsis Goloboff, 1995 → Pycnothelidae
• Hermacha Simon, 1889 → Entypesidae
• Hermachura Mello-Leitão, 1923 → Pycnothelidae
• Hesperonatalius Castalanelli, Huey, Hillyer & Harvey, 2017 → Anamidae
• Ixamatus Simon, 1887 → Microstigmatidae
• Kiama Main & Mascord, 1969 → Microstigmatidae
• Kwonkan Main, 1983 → Anamidae
• Lepthercus Purcell, 1902 → Entypesidae
• Longistylus Indicatti & Lucas, 2005 → Pycnothelidae
• Lycinus Thorell, 1894 → Pycnothelidae
• Namea Raven, 1984 → Anamidae
• Neostothis Vellard, 1925 → Pycnothelidae
• Pionothele Purcell, 1902 → Pycnothelidae
• Prorachias Mello-Leitão, 1924 → Pycnothelidae
• Proshermacha Simon, 1908 → Anamidae
• Psalistopoides Mello-Leitão, 1934 → Pycnothelidae
• Pselligmus Simon, 1892 → Pycnothelidae
• Pycnothele Chamberlin, 1917 → Pycnothelidae
• Rachias Simon, 1892 → Pycnothelidae
• Spiroctenus Simon, 1889 → Bemmeridae
• Stanwellia Rainbow & Pulleine, 1918 → Pycnothelidae
• Stenoterommata Holmberg, 1881 → Pycnothelidae
• Swolnpes Main & Framenau, 2009 → Anamidae
• Teyl Main, 1975 → Anamidae
• Teyloides Main, 1985 → Anamidae
• Xamiatus Raven, 1981 → Microstigmatidae

Extinct genera

†Eodiplurina Petrunkevitch 1922 Florissant Formation, United States, Eocene

References

References

1. "Family Nemesiidae Simon, 1889". World Spider Catalog.
2. Raven, R.J.. (1987). "A new mygalomorph spider genus from Mexico (Nemesiinae, Nemesiidae, Arachnida)". J. Arachnol..
3. Simon, E.. (1889). "Arachnides".
4. Raven, R.J.. (1985). "The spider Infraorder Mygalomorphae (Araneae): cladistics and systematics". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History.
5. (2003). "Common Names of Arachnids". American Arachnological Society.
6. (2006-07-07). "Find-a-Spider Guide". University of Queensland.
7. (2000). "An Introduction to the Spiders of South East Asia". Malaysian Nature Society, Kuala Lumpur.
8. "Family: Anamidae Simon, 1889". Natural History Museum Bern.
9. "Family: Bemmeridae Simon, 1903". Natural History Museum Bern.
10. "Family: Pycnothelidae Chamberlin, 1917". Natural History Museum Bern.
11. "Family: Entypesidae Bond, Opatova & Hedin, 2020". Natural History Museum Bern.
12. "Family: Microstigmatidae Roewer, 1942". Natural History Museum Bern.

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