Dionycha

Dionycha
Marpissa muscosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Clade: Entelegynae
Clade: Dionycha
Families

See text.

Diversity
17 families

The Dionycha are a phylogenetic group of spiders (Araneomorphae:Entelegynae) with about 10,000 species. 17 families belong to this group, amongst others: Salticidae (jumping spiders), Gnaphosoidea, Thomisidae (crab spiders), and the Clubionidae. Spiders in this group have better senses (sight, hearing) than others, some even show courtship dances and songs.

The Dionycha probably evolved from the web-building Trionycha. Unlike these, the Dionycha have only two instead of three tarsal claws. The central third claw of the Trionycha is responsible for tracking the silk thread. Instead of this claw, Dionycha have dense tufts of scupula hairs that produce strong adhesion, enabling some species to climb glass. Most species hunt their prey instead of building webs, although some species of Trionycha (members of Lycosoidea) also hunt.

There are no cribellate members in the Dionycha.[1]

The monophyly of the Dionycha has been disputed. Today it is thought that the reduction of the third claw evolved several times independently.

Cladogram (after Coddington & Levi, 1991, simplified)

Araneomorphae

Haplogynae


Entelegynae

Trionycha


Dionycha




Corinnidae

Liocranidae

Gnaphosoidea (7 families, c. 3,000 species)

Clubionidae

Anyphaenidae

Salticidae, > 5,000 species

Thomisidae, > 2,000 species

Philodromidae

Sparassidae

Selenopidae

Zoridae





Footnotes

  1. ↑ Griswold et al. 1999

References

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