Oecobiidae

The spider family Oecobiidae (also called disc web spiders) includes about 100 described species so far. The Oecobiidae are small- to moderate-sized spiders (about 2 mm to 2 cm head-and-body length, depending on the species); the larger species tend to be desert-dwelling. The legs are unusually evenly placed around the prosoma; most other spiders have some legs directed clearly forward and the rest clearly backward, or all forward. The first two pairs of legs of many Oecobiids point forward then curve backwards; somehow in a running spider this gives a curiously scurrying, wheel-like impression that is characteristic of many Oecobiidae, and is helpful as a rough-and-ready aid to identification in the field. Characteristic of the family is the anal gland; it bears a tuft of long hairs. Typi

Oecobiidae

The spider family Oecobiidae (also called disc web spiders) includes about 100 described species so far. The Oecobiidae are small- to moderate-sized spiders (about 2 mm to 2 cm head-and-body length, depending on the species); the larger species tend to be desert-dwelling. The legs are unusually evenly placed around the prosoma; most other spiders have some legs directed clearly forward and the rest clearly backward, or all forward. The first two pairs of legs of many Oecobiids point forward then curve backwards; somehow in a running spider this gives a curiously scurrying, wheel-like impression that is characteristic of many Oecobiidae, and is helpful as a rough-and-ready aid to identification in the field. Characteristic of the family is the anal gland; it bears a tuft of long hairs. Typi