Spiny Curtain-web Spiders - Family: Euagridae
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The Euagridae is a family of Funnel-web spiders containing 87 species in 14 genera. It has been recognised as a family since 2020 after initially having been described in 1979 as a tribe by R. Raven who, himself elevated it to subfamily in 1985. They possess a few physical features that helps set them apart from other Mygalomorphs. The cephalothorax is often strongly indented with lines radiating outwards from a central depression. This gives the 'head' of the spider a distinctly triangular appearance. The males have prominent spines on the first pair of legs and sometimes the second pair as well, which are used in self-defense against the feamle during mating. Their spinnerets are much elongated; in some species to the point that they appear like two three-segmented tails protruding from underneath the abdomen.
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The oldest fossils found of spiders belonging to the Euagrids date back some 122 My to the Early Cretaceous. Three extinct genera have been described from these fossils, all of which were found in north-eastern Brazil: an area where they are no longer found today.
At the present time there are species from five genera recorded in Australia with at least eight species from three genera found in the Northern Rivers. The Euagrids can be found in most habitats but individual species tend to be somewhat localised. The family consists of mostly small to large spiders with the largest reaching a bodylength of about 30 mm and the smallest a mere 3 mm. Their colouring is similar to that of most Mygalomorphs with brown and black the most prevalent colours. |
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Curtain-web Spiders do construct burrows but they look for suitable spaces under rocks, between tree roots, etc. to create their large webs and retreats in. They make their web, sometimes up to half a meter wide, from a film-like silk to surround their burrow. The silk-lined burrow opens into the web with one or more funnel-like mouths. Within the web, silk corridors are built to allow movement from one area to another. Euagrids are mostly nocturnal and their food consists mostly of other invertebrate and at least one species, Austrothele jamiesoni, has developed a taste for snails.
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Subfamily: Australothelinae
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Australothele jamiesoni
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Australothele maculata (possible occurrence)
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Australothele montana (likely occurrence)
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Australothele nambucca
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Australothele nothofagi (likely occurrence)
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Cethegus broomi (likely occurrence)
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Namirea insularis
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Namirea planipes
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Note: The Family: Euagridae was established only in 2020. This also included the introduction of a second subfamily and involved some reshuffling of various genera. Most literature will still have the Curtain-web Spiders in the Family: Dipluridae. This text uses the taxonomic arrangement as listed in the 'World Spider Catalog' as of December 2023.
Taxonomy:
Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
> Subphylum: Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
> Class: Arachnida (Arachnids)
> Order: Aranea (Spiders)
> Suborder: Mygalomorphae (Mygalomorphs)
> Superfamily: Avicularioidea
> Family: Euagridae (Spiny Curtain-web Spiders)
> Subfamily: Australothelinae
> Genus: Australothele
> Species: A. jamiesoni
> Species: A. maculata ^
> Species: A. montana *
> Species: A. nambucca
> Species: A. nothofagi *
> Genus: Cethegus
> Species: C. broomi *
> Genus: Namirea
> Species: N. insularis
> Species: N. planipes
* = likely
^ = possibly
References and links:
> Framenau, V.W., Baehr, B.C. and Zborowski, P., (2014). 'A Guide to the Spiders of Australia.' New Holland Publishers, Sydney.
> Opatova, V., Hamilton, C.A., Hedin, M., Montes De Oca, L., Král, J. and Bond, J.E., (2019). 'Phylogenetic Systematics and Evolution of the Spider Infraorder Mygalomorphae Using Genomic Scale Data.' Systematic Biology, 69 (4): 671–707, doi:10.1093/sysbio/syz064
> Raven, R.J., Jell, P.A., and Knezour, R.A.. (2015). 'Edwa maryae gen. et sp. nov. in the Norian Blackstone Formation of the Ipswich Basin—the first Triassic spider (Mygalomorphae) from Australia.' Alcheringa 39:259-263
> Raven, R.J., (1979). 'Systematics of the mygalomorph spider genus Masteria (Masteriinae: Dipluridae: Arachnida).' Australian Journal of Zoology 27(4): 623-636. doi:10.1071/ZO9790623
> Raven, R.J., (1985). 'The spider infraorder Mygalomorphae (Araneae): cladistics and systematics.' Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 182: 1-180.
> Selden, P.A., (2006). 'Systematic palaeontology, in Mygalomorph spiders (Araneae: Dipluridae) from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Lagerstätte, Araripe basin, north-east Brazil.' Palaeontology 49:817-826.
https://www.arachne.org.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=2680
https://wsc.nmbe.ch/family/132/Euagridae
> Framenau, V.W., Baehr, B.C. and Zborowski, P., (2014). 'A Guide to the Spiders of Australia.' New Holland Publishers, Sydney.
> Opatova, V., Hamilton, C.A., Hedin, M., Montes De Oca, L., Král, J. and Bond, J.E., (2019). 'Phylogenetic Systematics and Evolution of the Spider Infraorder Mygalomorphae Using Genomic Scale Data.' Systematic Biology, 69 (4): 671–707, doi:10.1093/sysbio/syz064
> Raven, R.J., Jell, P.A., and Knezour, R.A.. (2015). 'Edwa maryae gen. et sp. nov. in the Norian Blackstone Formation of the Ipswich Basin—the first Triassic spider (Mygalomorphae) from Australia.' Alcheringa 39:259-263
> Raven, R.J., (1979). 'Systematics of the mygalomorph spider genus Masteria (Masteriinae: Dipluridae: Arachnida).' Australian Journal of Zoology 27(4): 623-636. doi:10.1071/ZO9790623
> Raven, R.J., (1985). 'The spider infraorder Mygalomorphae (Araneae): cladistics and systematics.' Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 182: 1-180.
> Selden, P.A., (2006). 'Systematic palaeontology, in Mygalomorph spiders (Araneae: Dipluridae) from the Lower Cretaceous Crato Lagerstätte, Araripe basin, north-east Brazil.' Palaeontology 49:817-826.
https://www.arachne.org.au/01_cms/details.asp?ID=2680
https://wsc.nmbe.ch/family/132/Euagridae
Photographic contributions: