Cave-spiders
Guides
Amaurobiidae
Hackledmesh Weavers, Night Spiders, Laceweavers
Amaurobiidae is a family of three-clawed spiders found worldwide, containing approximately 286 species in 51 genera. Members are characterized by possessing either a cribellum (a silk-spinning plate) or being ecribellate, and are often difficult to distinguish from related families such as Agelenidae, Desidae, and Amphinectidae. The family's taxonomic boundaries and internal relationships have been historically contentious, with genera frequently reassigned between families based on morphological and molecular studies. Australian representatives are small to medium-sized entelegyne spiders with minimal sheet webs, while North American species include relatively large, powerful hunters.
Linyphiidae
Sheetweb weavers, Dwarf spiders, Money spiders
Linyphiidae is the second largest family of spiders worldwide, comprising approximately 5,000 described species in around 650 genera. Members are characterized by extremely small body sizes, typically under 5 mm, and the construction of flat, sheet-like webs often suspended in a maze of supporting threads. The family exhibits remarkable diversity in male genital morphology, with many species displaying elaborate cephalic projections and modified pedipalps used in species identification. Ecologically, they function as important predators of small arthropods in diverse habitats ranging from forest canopies to snow surfaces and cave systems.
Nesticidae
cave cobweb spiders, scaffold web spiders
Nesticidae is a family of spiders closely allied with Theridiidae (tangle web spiders), distinguished by a comb of serrated bristles on the hind tarsi used to pull silk bands from the spinnerets. The family contains approximately 15 genera and 280 species, with many species associated with caves, overhangs, and subterranean habitats. Members show varying degrees of troglomorphic adaptation, from fully cave-adapted troglobionts to surface-dwelling forms. The genus Nesticus, the type genus, has a global distribution and has undergone extensive radiation in montane regions.
Trogloneta
spurred orb-weavers
Trogloneta is a genus of minute spurred orb-weavers in the family Mysmenidae, described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1922. The genus currently comprises twelve described species distributed across Europe, East Asia, and the Americas. These spiders are among the smallest known spiders, with some species measuring less than 2 mm in body length. Several species exhibit cave-adapted characteristics and restricted distributions, with some Chinese species showing extreme population genetic divergence due to geographic isolation in karst cave systems.