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INTRODUCTION

This is a key to subfamilies of Australian spiders. It requires a binocular microscope and light of some quality, fine dissecting forceps and patience. This guide also provides a means of recognising sex even in juvenile tarantulas and other mygalomorphs, See Glossary, Sexing spiders.

The key works best with usual characters and worst with characters that are widespread in spiders, e.g., conservatively shaped carapace, eight eyes in two weakly curved rows.

Juveniles

Like any spider key, this key will struggle on juveniles. No only because they have not yet developed defining sexual characters but also because up until about 3rd or 4th moult, even the somatic characters of the family may not be evident. Our suggestion for identifying juveniles is to sort them into superfamilies, then by pattern and try associating them with adults.

Using the key

If you are not sure about a state don't score it or score all of the states which you think may apply.

In general, the best diagnostic features are present in adult males. So if you have an adult male, score the male palpal organ present first that will bring to the fore the most informative characters.

Epigynes and mygalomorphs

Mygalomorphs don't have a sclerotised epigyne and hence females should be scored with the epigyne absent, as for males! Use only one sex of each species at a time. Spurious association of males and females is often the cause of errors.

Taxonomic Scope

In some cases, the key will identify a species. This occurs either in monotypic families (Pycnothelidae, Austrochilidae) or in families with introduced species (e.g., Dysdera crocota).

Usually, the key identifies to subfamily but in some cases the inclusion of highly modified genera so broadens the concept of the family it becomes difficult to easily identify the group. In those cases, the highly modified genus is scored as a separate taxon. Although the key takes both orb-weaving (araneoid) families (Araneidae, Tetragnathidae, Theridiosomatidae, Uloboridae) and the Salticidae to subfamilies. However, keys to the Australian salticid genera (Richardson) exist for these families on the Lucid website and hence taking them to subfamilies is superfluous as the published keys do not follow those groupings.

Apologia

In a number of other families, the use of subfamilies is contraindicated. This may be because keys to genera exist (e.g., Pholcidae, Huber (2001)) or because no overview (taxonomic review or revision) of the family exists. In the Araneidae, species are still placed in the "dump genus" Araneus but clearly belong elsewhere and recent classification have been molecular and lack supporting morphological data; hence, only classical subfamily concepts can be used. Equally, much the same is true in the Lycosidae and Theridiidae, where species are still placed in the "dump genera" Lycosa and Theridion, respectivey. The Gnaphosidae have long been in revision and many new genera have been identified and although the work of Murphy (2007) was world-wide, it was unable to deal with the large unnamed fauna; hence, we follow a conservative classification. Considerable instability now exists in the Gnaphosoidea largely because of the frequency of incongruent molecular classifications, e.g. the highly unusual parallel-fanged genra formerly placed in the Gallieniellidae. We plan to update the key as stability develops.

GENERAL NOTES

Blind spiders: We recommend you do not score eyes absent until last as loss of eyes occurs in many groups but only those which are known to be blind in Australia are so scored.

Distributions

Distributions given here are estimated and in some cases, the point is enlarged simply for visibility.

FAQ's

Q: Some of these characters seem important. How do I know the best way to view them?
A: Check the enhanced glossary as it gives the definition, the significance (& sometimes phylogeny) and the best way to view it if not obvious.

Q: Claw tufts appear to be scored in two places. Why is this?
A: The strict definition of tufts is felt to be worthy on inclusion but we have allowed the user to score as they see the character and let Lucid sort the real tufts out in a character below.

Q: How do I know which are the AME and PME when the rows are strongly procurved?
A: Don't score the row curvature.

Q: How do I know which eyes are missing when there are only 6 or 4?
A: Don't score the eye presences.

Errors...

Please email any suspected data errors to me (Robert Raven) and Jenny Beard (cc'd). We will pass on other comments to the Lucid developers. Inevitably, the key will not be able to correctly identify taxa which were not described and expand or threaten the subfamily boundary. In these cases, we suggest you first try not to score the unusual character first, that is, restart the key using the same characters in a different order.