Editing Atypical tarantula

{{Short description|Spiders of family Atypidæ}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|Cretaceous|present}}
| name = Atypical tarantulas
| image = Sphodros rufines.JPG
| image_caption = ''[[Sphodros rufipes]]''
| image2 = Atypus karschi.jpg
| image2_caption = ''[[Atypus karschi]]''
| taxon = Atypidae
| authority = [[Tamerlan Thorell|Thorell]], 1870
| range_map = Distribution.atypidae.1.png
| diversity = [[#Genera|3 genera]], [[List of Atypidae species|58 species]]
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision = {{linked genus list
 |''[[Atypus]]''|Latreille, 1804
 |''[[Calommata]]''|Lucas, 1837
 |''[[Sphodros]]''|Walckenaer, 1835}}
}}
'''Atypidae''', also known as '''atypical tarantulas''' or '''purseweb spiders''', is a spider family containing only three [[genus|genera]]. They are accomplished ambush predators that spend most of their time in a sock-like, silken retreat on the ground from where they kill their prey.<ref name="Piper 2007">{{cite book| author=Piper, Ross| author-link=Ross Piper| year=2007| title=Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals| url=https://archive.org/details/extraordinaryani0000pipe| url-access=registration| publisher=[[Greenwood Press (publisher)|Greenwood Press]]| isbn=9780313339226}}</ref>

==Distribution==
''[[Sphodros]]'' and ''[[Atypus]]'' occur in North America, while ''[[Atypus]]'' and ''[[Calommata]]'' occur in Asia and Africa. Only ''[[Atypus]]'' species are found in Europe.<ref name=NMBE /> ''[[Atypus affinis]]'', ''[[Atypus muralis]]'', and ''[[Atypus piceus]]'' are the only [[Mygalomorphae|mygalomorph]] spiders found in Central Europe.

==Biology==
''Atypus'' builds a [[spider silk|silken]] tube parallel to the surface of the ground. While up to 8&nbsp;cm of the tube lie on the ground, about 20&nbsp;cm are buried vertically. The spider rests at the bottom of the tube. When prey walks on the exposed part, the spider, alerted by the vibrations, stabs the prey through the silk, cuts the web and drags the prey inside to be eaten. ''Calommata'' species, instead of building a purseweb, live in burrows.<ref name=murphy2000>{{cite journal| last1=Murphy| first1=F.| last2=Murphy| first2=J.| year=2000| title=An introduction to the spiders of South East Asia with notes on all the genera| journal=Malaysian Nature Society Kuala Lumpur}}</ref>
''Sphodros'' spp. usually prop their tubes against a tree trunk.

Atypical tarantulas have huge [[chelicerae]] for their size and relatively long [[spinneret (spider)|spinnerets]] (although not as long as those found in [[Dipluridae|diplurids]]). The males are sometimes brightly colored and wander around looking for females in their tubes. The females are reddish-brown or dark-colored.

During the breeding season for ''A. affinis'', the male leaves his own burrow and goes in search of females. When he finds the burrow of a female, he tentatively taps on the wall of the purseweb, and if the female is receptive, he ventures into the confines of the burrow. The two spiders mate and cohabit until the male dies, when the female eats him. The female makes an egg sac and hangs it in her burrow. The next summer, the eggs hatch, and the spring after that, the spiderlings leave their mother's burrow and wander off to find a suitable place to build a lair of their own.<ref name="Piper 2007" />

Southeast Asian ''Atypus'' species have a body length of 7 to 21&nbsp;mm in females, and about 12&nbsp;mm in males. ''Calommata'' spp. of this region grow from 23 to 30&nbsp;mm in females, and only about 7&nbsp;mm in males.<ref name=murphy2000/>
{{clearleft}}

==Genera==
{{as of|2019|04}}, the [[World Spider Catalog]] accepts the following genera:<ref name=NMBE>{{cite web| title=Family: Atypidae Thorell, 1870| website=World Spider Catalog| access-date=2019-04-19| publisher=Natural History Museum Bern| url=http://www.wsc.nmbe.ch/family/11}}</ref>
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
*''[[Atypus]]'' <small>[[Pierre André Latreille|Latreille]], 1804</small> — Britain to Ukraine, Asia, North Africa, United States
*''[[Calommata]]'' <small>[[Hippolyte Lucas|Lucas]], 1837</small> — Asia, South Africa
*''[[Sphodros]]'' <small>[[Charles Athanase Walckenaer|Walckenaer]], 1835</small> — North America
{{div col end}}

==See also==
* [[List of Atypidae species]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikispecies|Atypidae}}
{{Commons category|Atypidae}}
*[http://www.xs4all.nl/~ednieuw/Spiders/spidhome.htm Spiders of NW-Europe]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20031009004049/http://taipan.nmsu.edu/people/richman/dbr.html Richman, D. B. 2003. Some Spiders - Photograph of ''Sphodros'']

{{Araneae}}
{{Taxonbar |from=Q5895}}

[[Category:Atypidae|Atypidae]]
[[Category:Mygalomorphae families]]