Nemesiidae


Nemesiidae, also known as funnel-web trapdoor spiders, is a family of mygalomorph spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1889, and raised to family status in 1985. Before becoming its own family, it was considered part of "Dipluridae". Fossils have been found dating this family back to the Lower Cretaceous.

Description

Nemesiidae are relatively large spiders with robust legs and a body that is nearly three times as long as it is wide. They are darkly colored, brown to black, though some have silvery hairs on their carapace. Atmetochilus females can grow over long.
They live in burrows, often with a hinged trapdoor. This door is pushed up while the spider waits for passing prey. They rarely leave their burrows, catching prey and withdrawing as quickly as possible. Some of these burrows have a side tubes, but it is not certain whether Sinopesa builds burrows at all.

Genera

, the World Spider Catalog accepts the following genera:
Transferred to other families: