Lycosoidea
Superfamily of spiders / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lycosoidea is a clade or superfamily of araneomorph spiders. The traditional circumscription was based on a feature of the eyes. The tapetum is a reflective layer at the back of the eye, thought to increase sensitivity in low light levels. Lycosoids were then defined by having a "grate-shaped" tapetum. Research from the late 1990s onwards suggests that this feature has evolved more than once, possibly as many as five times,[1] so that the original Lycosoidea is paraphyletic.[2] Studies published in 2014 and 2015 suggest that a smaller group of families does form a clade.
Quick Facts Scientific classification, Families ...
Lycosoidea | |
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Wolf spider carrying young | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
Clade: | Entelegynae |
Superfamily: | Lycosoidea |
Families | |
See text. |
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The reflective attributes of the tapeta vary significantly betwixt lycosoid spiders.[3]