Leptonetidae is a family of small
spiders adapted to live in dark and moist places such as caves.[1] The family is relatively primitive having diverged around the
Middle Jurassic period.[2] They were first described by
Eugène Simon in 1890.[3]
Distinguishing characteristics
Leptonetids are small, with most falling between 2 and 5mm in total length.[2] They are generally pale in color and feature a greenish or bluish shine due to microscopic texture on the cuticle of their exoskeleton.[1] Those species which have retained their eyes, have 6 eyes set in a distinctive pattern, with posterior pair set back from the others. If a spider from this family looses a
leg, it usually separates between the patella and tibia rather than at the coxa/trochanter joint. [4]
^Bradley, Richard A., 'FAMILY LEPTONETIDAE • Midget Cave Spiders', Common Spiders of North America (Oakland, CA, 2012; online edn, California Scholarship Online, 23 May 2013), https://doi.org/10.1525/california/9780520274884.003.0032, accessed 27 Apr. 2023.
Gertsch, W.J. (1978). The spider family Leptonetidae in North America. Journal of Arachnology 1:145-203.
PDF
Platnick, N.I. (1986). On the tibial and patellar glands, relationships, and American genera of the spider family Leptonetidae (Arachnida, Araneae). American Museum Novitates 2855.
PDF