Mygalomorphae
| Mygalomorphs Temporal range: Triassic to present |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Missulena bradleyi, a mouse spider | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Suborder: | Opisthothelae |
| Infraorder: |
Mygalomorphae Pocock, 1892 |
| Families | |
|
Mecicobothriidae |
|
| Diversity | |
| 15 families | |
Mecicobothriidae
Microstigmatidae
Hexathelidae
Dipluridae
Nemesiidae
Theraphosidae
Paratropididae
Barychelidae
Atypidae
Antrodiaetidae
Cyrtaucheniidae
Idiopidae
Ctenizidae
Migidae
Actinopodidae
see Spider families table
The Mygalomorphae or mygalomorphs are an infraorder of spiders. The name is derived from the Greek mugalē, meaning "shrew", plus morphē meaning form or shape. An older name for the group is Orthognatha, derived from the orientation of the fangs which point straight down and do not cross each other (as they do in the araneomorphs).
This group of spiders comprises mostly heavy bodied, stout legged spiders including tarantulas, Australian funnel-web spiders, mouse spiders, and various families of spiders commonly called trapdoor spiders.
Like the "primitive" suborder of spiders Mesothelae, they have two pairs of book lungs, and downward pointing chelicerae. Because of this, the two groups were once believed to be closely related. Later it was realized that the common ancestors of all spiders had these features (a state known as symplesiomorphy). Following the branching into the suborders of Mesothelae and Opisthothelae, the mygalomorphs retained them, while their fellow Opisthothelae members, the araneomorphs, evolved new "modern" features, including a cribellum and cross-acting fangs.
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Wikipedia