Reduced-eyes
Guides
Anillinus fortis
Anillinus fortis is a species of small ground beetle in the family Carabidae, endemic to the Eastern United States. It belongs to the tribe Anillina within the subfamily Trechinae, a group characterized by reduced eyes and adaptations to subterranean or soil-dwelling habits. The species was described by George Henry Horn in 1869. Like other members of its genus, it likely inhabits forest floor litter and soil microhabitats.
Caponiidae
Bright Lungless Spiders
Caponiidae is a family of ecribellate haplogyne spiders distinguished by several unusual morphological traits. Members lack book lungs, instead respiring through tracheae. The posterior median spinnerets are anteriorly displaced, forming a transverse row with the anterior lateral spinnerets—a unique arrangement among spiders. Most species possess only two eyes, though eye number varies remarkably within the family, with some species having four, six, or eight eyes; in certain species, eye number increases through ontogeny. The family comprises 21 genera and approximately 157 species, predominantly distributed in the Americas and Africa.
Miagrammopes
Miagrammopes is a genus of cribellate orb-weaving spiders in the family Uloboridae, first described by O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1870. These spiders are distinguished by their reduced eye complement—retaining only four of the original eight eyes—and their highly modified web-building behavior. Rather than constructing traditional orb webs, they spin single horizontal threads with viscid capture silk, employing a unique hunting strategy of maintaining tension and releasing the line with a snap to entangle prey. The genus currently includes 71 recognized species and is distributed across tropical and subtropical regions.
Myrmecophilidae
Ant Crickets, Ant-loving Crickets
Myrmecophilidae, commonly known as ant crickets or ant-loving crickets, are a small family of Orthoptera comprising fewer than 100 species across several genera. These minute, wingless crickets are obligate inquilines that live exclusively within ant nests, where they exhibit specialized morphological adaptations including reduced eyes, elongated antennae, and flattened bodies. The family has a global distribution with records from North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Pacific islands, though many species remain poorly documented. Members of this family do not produce sound and lack both wings and tympanal organs.