Coneweb spiders (Diguetidae) are six-eyed haplogyne spiders that live in tangled space webs, fashioning a cone-like central retreat where they hide and lay eggs. It is a small family, containing only two genera split between a range in the Southwestern United States and Mexico and a range in South America. Members of the genus Diguetia usually build their webs in shrubs or between cactus pads. They have the same eye arrangement as the venomous recluse spiders (family Sicariidae), but none are known to be harmful to humans.
Taxonomy
The group was first created by F. O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1899 as the subfamily Diguetiinae of the family Scytodidae. It was raised to the rank of family by Willis J. Gertsch using the spelling "Diguetidae". Pickard-Cambridge's use of double "i" is correct according to Article 29.3 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, since the name is based on the genus Diguetia. In 2004, Jörg Wonderlich suggested reducing it again to a subfamily, this time of Plectreuridae. However, it is still sometimes considered a subfamily of the Plectreuridae.
Genera and species
, the World Spider Catalog accepts the following genera: