Burrowing-spiders
Guides
Atypidae
purseweb spiders, atypical tarantulas
Atypidae is a family of mygalomorph spiders commonly known as purseweb spiders or atypical tarantulas. The family contains only three genera and represents one of the most archaic spider lineages. Members are obligate burrowers that construct distinctive sock-like, silken tubes extending from underground burrows up vertical surfaces. They are ambush predators that rarely leave their retreats, instead detecting and capturing prey from within their webs. The family has a disjunct distribution across Eurasia, northern Africa, and North America, with most species in the genus Atypus.
Hogna
wolf spiders
Hogna is a large genus of wolf spiders (Lycosidae) comprising more than 200 described species distributed across all continents except Antarctica. The genus is taxonomically problematic, having never been properly revised even in Europe, and lacks a reliable diagnostic framework. Species are generally large, ground-dwelling hunters that construct open silk-lined burrows rather than using trapdoors. Hogna carolinensis is among the largest wolf spiders in North America, with females reaching 35 mm body length. The genus exhibits notable ecological diversity, with parallel habitat specialization documented in island radiations such as the Galápagos and Madeira.