TROCHANTERIIDAE

This group is not well known, as the spiders are drab brown, flattish, difficult to identify and mostly secretive, living underneath tree bark or rocks. There have been movements of genera to and from other families, notably from Gnaphosidae. Other families in Gnaphisoidea are Ammoxenidae, Cithaeronidae and Gallieniellidae, revised along with Trochanteriidae by Norman Platnick in 2002. Trochanters in spiders refer to the second segment of the leg or palp between the coxa and the femur. Some Trochanteriidae have a greatly elongated trochanter IV, which is at least 1.5 times longer than trochanter III, a fairly bizarre character (Platnick 2002). The name flat gnaphosoids is descriptive, but not much better than the preferred common name Trochanteriids.

Desognaphosa yabbra

Desognaphosa yabbra Platnick, 2002 Crossover Spider
This is a very curious beastie. While it is a Trochanteriid, when it was undescribed it was referred to by a hybrid genus nickname Desognaphosa... 

Trochanteriidae

Morebilus or Rebilus spp?
This spider could be Morebilus (formerly Hemicloea) or Rebilus. The difference between the two genera is that Morebilus has six spinnerets and... 

Rebilis lugubris

Rebilus lugubris (L. Koch, 1875)

Rebilus

Rebilus sp? North Stradbroke Island
A flat spider under bark of coastal Casuarina spp. on North Stradbroke Island.  

TInytrema wombat

Tinytrema wombat Platnick, 2002 Wombat Creek Ant Mimic
Tinytrema is a genus of small, extremely flattened (almost paper-thin) spiders, with white spots on the abdomen simulating the appearance of a... 

 

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