Specimen image via iDigBio · CC0
Desidae
Sign in to saveAlso known as the intertidal spiders
Desidae is a family of spiders, some of which are known as intertidal spiders. The family is named for the genus Desis, members of which inhabit the intertidal zone. The family has been reevaluated in recent years and now includes inland genera and species as well, such as Badumna and Phryganoporus. The vast majority of genera currently included in Desidae are native to Australia, New Zealand, or New Caledonia, although some are found in other parts of the world.
Species
marine spiders
FAMILY
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumArthropoda
- ClassArachnida
- OrderAraneae
- FamilyDesidae
via GBIF
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 976
- With media
- 146
- Family
- Desidae
- Collections
- MCZ, SDNHM, UNM, NMV, FMNH, QM
- Recorded in
- Chile, United States, Zambia, Australia, New Zealand
~4 min read
Encyclopedic overview
4 sectionsContents
- Distribution
- Genera
- References
- External links
Desidae is a family of spiders, some of which are known as intertidal spiders. The family is named for the genus Desis, members of which inhabit the intertidal zone. The family has been reevaluated in recent years and now includes inland genera and species as well, such as Badumna and Phryganoporus. The vast majority of genera currently included in Desidae are native to Australia, New Zealand, or New Caledonia, although some are found in other parts of the world.
In 2017, the family Amphinectidae was merged into Desidae and the family Toxopidae was separated from it. Those intertidal spiders that are truly marine commonly live in barnacle shells, which they seal up with silk; this allows them to maintain an air bubble during high tide. They emerge at night to feed on various small arthropods that live in the intertidal zone.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Desidae” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.