ANAPIDAE Simon, 1895

LePeru, 2011, Atypidae to Theridiidae, The Spiders of Europe, a Synthesis 1 : 338

Family ANAPIDAE Simon, 1895

Type genus: Anapis Simon, 1895 .

Diagnosis. Very small spiders, body length less than 2 mm; female palp reduced; male with abdominal scuta; genitalia simple.

Characters of family. Araneomorphae . 3 tarsal claws. Ecribellate. Genitalia simple (secondary "haplogyne "). Carapace with cephalic part raised; sternum broadly fused to carapace. Male with abdominal scuta. 8 or 6 eyes, anterior median eyes reduced or absent, other eyes arranged in 3 pairs. Female palp reduced, without claw. Spinnerets usually surrounded by a sclerotised ring. Booklungs replaced by anterior tracheal spiracles. Body length 1-2 mm.

Taxonomy. The family Anapidae is part of the symphytognathoid clade with the Theridiosomatidae , Mysmenidae , Synaphridae and Symphytognathidae . The composition of the family and its monophyly is questioned by several authors.

Distribution. There are more than 140 species in the World (PLATNICK, 2010), mainly in tropical regions. Most genera inhabit New Zeland, Australia and Africa. However, several genera occur in Asia. Only Comaroma simoni and the 3 species or Zangherella are found in Europe. 2 species live in the USA.

Species introduced in Europe. Pseudanapis aloha Forster, 1959 , introduced in England and Germany.

Biology. These spiders usually are found in leaf litter and moss, on the floor of moist forests.

Some species construct small horizontal orb webs with very numerous radii and sticky spirals. The web is distorted by several out-of-plan threads that attach to substrate above the web. The diameter of the web is less than 3 cm.

Diagnosis of genera.

Zangherella species have 6 eyes; Comaroma species have 8 eyes, but the AME are very reduced and difficult to see.

The genera are distinguishable by the genitalia. In Comaroma the male palp has a more complicated bulb than in Zangherella .