Linyphiidae, spiders commonly known as sheet weavers (from the shape of their webs), or money spiders (in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Portugal) is a family of very small spiders comprising around 5,000 described species in around 650 genera worldwide. This makes Linyphiidae the second largest family of spiders after the Salticidae.
The family is poorly understood due to their small body size and wide distribution; new genera and species are still being discovered throughout the world. The newest such genus is Himalafurca from Nepal, formally described in April 2021 by Tanasevitch. Since it is so difficult to identify such tiny spiders, there are regular changes in taxonomy as species are combined or divided.
Money spiders are known for drifting through the air via a technique termed "ballooning". Females of winter-active sheet weavers, such as Tenuiphantes cristatus and Bolephthyphantes index, are known for building sheet webs in depressions on the surface of snow.All You Need to Know About Spiders
Within the agriculture industry, money spiders are regarded as biological control agents against pest species like aphids and springtails.
Description In Linyphiidae, the clypeus is normally over twice as high as the diameter of the anterior median eyes. The chelicerae have lateral stridulating ridges and lack lateral condyles.
The legs are long and thin, and bear macrosetae. The abdomen is usually oval or elongated.
Distribution
Spiders of this family occur nearly worldwide. In Norway many species have been found walking on snow at temperatures of down to −7 °C.
While these spiders are light enough to utilize ballooning for travel, they are limited by the physics of an often turbulent atmosphere and microclimate. For this reason ballooning spiders have little control over where they land, leading to a high mortality rate for the practice and its predominant usage by spiderlings and juveniles. The travel of money spiders by ballooning likely contributes to their vast distribution and speciation.
Predators and prey
Among birds, goldcrests are known to prey on money spiders. Money spiders are known to prey on aphids, springtails, flies, and other spiders.
Taxonomy The Pimoidae are the sister group to the Linyphiidae.
There are six subfamilies, of which Linyphiinae (the sheetweb spiders), Erigoninae (the dwarf spiders), and Micronetinae, contain the majority of described species.
Many species have been described in monotypic genera, especially in the Erigoninae, which probably reflects the scientific techniques traditionally used in this family. Common genera include Neriene, Lepthyphantes, Erigone, Eperigone, Bathyphantes, Troglohyphantes, Tennesseellum and many others. These are among the most abundant spiders in the temperate regions, although many are also found in the tropics. The generally larger bodied members of the subfamily Linyphiinae are commonly found in classic "bowl and doily" webs or filmy domes. The usually tiny members of the Erigoninae are builders of tiny sheet webs. These tiny spiders (usually 3 mm or less) commonly balloon even as adults and may be very numerous in a given area on one day, only to disappear the next.
Males in the subfamily Erigoninae typically have modified cephalothoraxes. These modifications are diagnostic for a given taxon, being genus or species-specific. These come in an impressive array of forms including, but not limited to, grooves, tubercles, projections, bumps, lobes, and spines. Occasionally, the projections may be decorated with tufts of hair or even bear eyes.
The following are select examples of species in which males possess rather remarkable modifications. Walckenaeria acuminata has its eyes placed on a tall, thin spire whose height exceeds the length of the cephalothorax. Grammonota gigas has a transverse row of four longitudinal lobes behind the eyes. Gnathonargus unicorn has a long, slender, upward-pointing clypeal projection resembling a unicorn horn. Hypselistes florens has a cephalic lobe shaped like an hourglass when viewed from the front. Perregrinus deformis has a short, downcurved clypeal projection resembling a human nose. Praestigia kulczynskii has its anterior median eyes placed ventrally at the end of a long, thick projection issuing from the clypeus. The genera Coreorgonal and Spirembolus have their cephalic regions deeply divided into two pronounced lobes. Eskovia exarmata has a cephalothorax shaped like a trapezoid when viewed laterally. Horcotes quadricristatus has a single, sharp tooth sticking up between the anterior and posterior eyes.
Similarly, the pedipalps of males range from simple to complex in their design, with some possessing striking features and arrangements of palpal sclerites that are unique for a given genus and/or species.
A few spiders in this family include: Bowl and doily spider, Frontinella pyramitela Filmy dome spider, Neriene radiata Blacktailed red sheetweaver, Florinda coccinea Orsonwelles, a genus of giant Hawaiian Linyphids containing the largest Linyphiid, O. malus. Erigone atra, a dwarf spider
Genera
, this family includes 641 genera and 4962 species.
Abacoproeces Simon, 1884 – Alps, Russia Aberdaria Holm, 1962 – Kenya Abiskoa Saaristo & Tanasevitch, 2000 – China, Poland, Russia, Scandinavia Absconditus Irfan, Zhang & Peng, 2022 – China Acanoides Sun, Marusik & Tu, 2014 – China Acanthoneta Eskov & Marusik, 1992 – China, Russia, North America Acartauchenius Simon, 1884 – Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Asia, Russia, Italy, Malta Acorigone Wunderlich, 2008 – Azores Acroterius Irfan, Bashir & Peng, 2021 – China Adelonetria Millidge, 1991 – Chile Afribactrus Wunderlich, 1995 – South Africa Afromynoglenes Merrett & Russell-Smith, 1996 – Ethiopia Afroneta Holm, 1968 – Cameroon, DR Congo, Eastern Africa Afrophantes Tanasevitch, 2025 – Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania Afrotrichona Tanasevitch, 2020 – Kenya Agnyphantes Hull, 1933 – Kazakhstan, China, Russia, Alaska, Canada Agyneta Hull, 1911 – Worldwide Agyphantes Saaristo & Marusik, 2004 – Russia Ainerigone Eskov, 1993 – Japan, Russia Alioranus Simon, 1926 – Asia, Cyprus, Greece Allomengea Strand, 1912 – Kyrgyzstan, Eastern Asia, Caucasus, Russia, North America Allotiso Tanasevitch, 1990 – Georgia, Turkey Amfractus Irfan, Zhang & Peng, 2022 – China Anacornia Chamberlin & Ivie, 1933 – United States Anguliphantes Saaristo & Tanasevitch, 1996 – Asia, Romania, Russia Anibontes Chamberlin, 1924 – United States Annapolis Millidge, 1984 – North America Anodoration Millidge, 1991 – Argentina, Brazil Anthrobia Tellkampf, 1844 – North America Antrohyphantes Dumitrescu, 1971 – Bulgaria, North Macedonia Aperturina Tanasevitch, 2014 – Malaysia, Thailand Aphileta Hull, 1920 – Kazakhstan, Russia Apobrata Miller, 2004 – Philippines Aprifrontalia Oi, 1960 – Eastern Asia, Russia Arachosinella Denis, 1958 – Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia Araeoncus Simon, 1884 – Africa, Asia, Europe, North Africa. Introduced to New Zealand Archaraeoncus Tanasevitch, 1987 – Asia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia Arcterigone Eskov & Marusik, 1994 – Russia, Alaska, Canada Arcuphantes Chamberlin & Ivie, 1943 – Eastern Asia, North America Ascetophantes Tanasevitch & Saaristo, 2006 – Nepal Asemostera Simon, 1898 – Central to South America Asiafroneta Tanasevitch, 2020 – Malaysia Asiagone Tanasevitch, 2014 – China, Laos, Thailand Asiceratinops Eskov, 1992 – Russia Asiophantes Eskov, 1993 – Russia Asperthorax Oi, 1960 – China, Japan, Russia Asthenargellus Caporiacco, 1949 – Kenya Asthenargoides Eskov, 1993 – Russia Asthenargus Simon & Fage, 1922 – Africa, Asia, Europe Atypena Simon, 1894 – Asia Auriculaiana Irfan, Zhang & Peng, 2023 – China Australolinyphia Wunderlich, 1976 – Australia Australophantes Tanasevitch, 2012 – Indonesia, Australia Bactrogyna Millidge, 1991 – Chile Baryphyma Simon, 1884 – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Caucasus, Georgia, Europe, Britain, Western Baryphymula Eskov, 1992 – Japan Bathylinyphia Eskov, 1992 – Kazakhstan, China, Japan, Korea, Russia Bathyphantes Menge, 1866 – Angola, Congo, Asia, Europe, Russia, North America, Oceania, Argentina Batueta Locket, 1982 – Asia Bifurcia Saaristo, Tu & Li, 2006 – China, Russia Birgerius Saaristo, 1973 – Spain, France Bisetifer Tanasevitch, 1987 – Caucasus, Ukraine, Russia Bishopiana Eskov, 1988 – China, Russia Blestia Millidge, 1993 – United States Bolephthyphantes Strand, 1901 – Central Asia, Caucasus, Russia, France, Greenland Bolyphantes C. L. Koch, 1837 – Asia, Europe, Western Mediterranean Bordea Bosmans, 1995 – Portugal, Spain, France Boreomaro Tanasevitch, 2022 – Russia Brachycerasphora Denis, 1962 – Northern Africa, Israel Bureyanus Tanasevitch, 2023 – Russia Bursellia Holm, 1962 – Cameroon, Congo, Eastern Africa Caenonetria Millidge & Russell-Smith, 1992 – Brunei Callitrichia Fage, 1936 – Africa, China, Thailand, India Callosa Zhao & Li, 2017 – China Camafroneta Frick & Scharff, 2018 – Cameroon Cameroneta Bosmans & Jocqué, 1983 – Cameroon Canariellanum Wunderlich, 1987 – Canary Islands Canariphantes Wunderlich, 1992 – Ethiopia, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Israel, Turkey, Europe Capsulia Saaristo, Tu & Li, 2006 – China Caracladus Simon, 1884 – China, Japan, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Western Carorita Duffey & Merrett, 1963 – China, Ukraine, Russia, Central, Western Cassafroneta Blest, 1979 – New Zealand Catacercus Millidge, 1985 – Chile Catonetria Millidge & Ashmole, 1994 – Ascension Islands Caucasopisthes Tanasevitch, 1990 – Caucasus Cautinella Millidge, 1985 – Chile Caviphantes Oi, 1960 – Asia, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, North America Centromerita Dahl, 1912 – Caucasus, Turkey. Introduced to North America Centromerus Dahl, 1886 – North Africa, Asia, Europe, North America Centrophantes Miller & Polenec, 1975 – Austria, Slovenia Ceraticelus Simon, 1884 – Germany, Poland, Russia, Finland, Netherlands, North America Ceratinella Emerton, 1882 – China, Japan, Korea, Caucasus, Iran, Turkey, Russia, Italy, North America, Australia Ceratinops Banks, 1905 – North America Ceratinopsidis Bishop & Crosby, 1930 – North America Ceratinopsis Emerton, 1882 – Africa, Asia, Canary Islands, Madeira, Guatemala, North America Ceratocyba Holm, 1962 – Kenya Cheniseo Bishop & Crosby, 1935 – North America Chenisides Denis, 1962 – Congo, Kenya Cherserigone Denis, 1954 – Algeria Chiangmaia Millidge, 1995 – Thailand Chthiononetes Millidge, 1993 – Australia Cinetata Wunderlich, 1995 – Georgia Cirrosus Zhao & Li, 2014 – China Claviphantes Tanasevitch & Saaristo, 2006 – Nepal Cnephalocotes Simon, 1884 – Korea, Ukraine, Russia, Canada, Hawaii Collinsia O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1913 – Kyrgyzstan, China, Japan, Korea, Caucasus, Iran, Austria, Russia, Spain, France, North America, Spitsbergen Coloncus Chamberlin, 1949 – North America Comorella Jocqué, 1985 – Comoros Concavocephalus Eskov, 1989 – Russia Conglin Zhao & Li, 2014 – China Connithorax Eskov, 1993 – Russia Coreorgonal Bishop & Crosby, 1935 – North America Cornicephalus Saaristo & Wunderlich, 1995 – China Cornitibia Lin, Lopardo & Uhl, 2022 – Nepal Cresmatoneta Simon, 1929 – Japan, Korea, India, Caucasus, Turkey, Russia Crispiphantes Tanasevitch, 1992 – China, Korea, Russia Cristatus Irfan, Zhang & Peng, 2022 – China Crosbyarachne Charitonov, 1937 – Turkey, Europe Crosbylonia Eskov, 1988 – Russia Cryptolinyphia Millidge, 1991 – Colombia Ctenophysis Millidge, 1985 – Chile Curtimeticus Zhao & Li, 2014 – China Cyphonetria Millidge, 1995 – Thailand Dactylopisthes Simon, 1884 – Asia, Europe, Alaska, Canada Dactylopisthoides Eskov, 1990 – Russia Decipiphantes Saaristo & Tanasevitch, 1996 – Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Belarus, Russia, Scandinavia Deelemania Jocqué & Bosmans, 1983 – Cameroon, Gabon, Malawi, Ivory Coast Dendronetria Millidge & Russell-Smith, 1992 – Brunei