World Spider Catalog

Macrothelidae Simon, 1892

Family | ACCEPTED

N.B.: originally as Macrotheleae, transferred from the Dipluridae to the Hexathelidae (Macrothelinae) by Raven, 1980a: 253; elavated to family rank by Hedin et al., 2018: 4 and confirmed by Kulkarni, Wood & Hormiga, 2023: f. 5; the re-including as Macrothelinae into the Hexathelidae by Raven & Douglas, 2025: 13 is not accepted here (see note at Hexathelidae).

Gen. Macrothele Ausserer, 1871 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:00017

type Mygale calpeiana Walckenaer, 1805; gender feminine

N.B.: transferred from the Dipluridae to the Hexathelidae by Raven, 1980a: 253 and to the Macrothelidae by Hedin et al., 2018: 4; considered a senior synonym of Orientothele Mirza, Sanap & Kunte, 2017 by Drolshagen, 2017: 282; Orientothele is revalidated by Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 342.

Transferred to other genera:

Macrothele aculeata Urquhart, 1893 -- see Euoplos

Macrothele alyrata (Mirza, Sanap & Kunte, 2017) -- see Orientothele

Macrothele amamiensis Shimojana & Haupt, 1998 -- see Vacrothele

Macrothele bannaensis Xu & Yin, 2001 -- see Spinathele

Macrothele darcheni Benoit, 1966 -- see Heterothele

Macrothele digitata Chen, Jiang & Yang, 2020 -- see Vacrothele

Macrothele emei Lin & Li, 2021 -- see Vacrothele

Macrothele gigas Shimojana & Haupt, 1998 -- see Gigathele

Macrothele guizhouensis Hu & Li, 1986 -- see Gigathele

Macrothele hanfeii Lin & Li, 2021 -- see Spinathele

Macrothele holsti Pocock, 1901 -- see Spinathele

Macrothele hunanica Zhu & Song, 2000 -- see Vacrothele

Macrothele hungae Lin & Li, 2021 -- see Gigathele

Macrothele insignipes Simon, 1891 -- see Porrhothele

Macrothele jingzhao Chen, Jiang & Yang, 2020 -- see Orientothele

Macrothele jinlin Z. B. Yang, Zhao, Zhang & Z. Z. Yang, 2018 -- see Orientothele

Macrothele limenghuai Lin & Li, 2021 -- see Gigathele

Macrothele menglunensis Li & Zha, 2013 -- see Bannathele

Macrothele mingsheng Wu & Z. Z. Yang, 2022 -- see Orientothele

Macrothele monocirculata Xu & Yin, 2000 -- see Gigathele

Macrothele nanning Lin & Li, 2021 -- see Spinathele

Macrothele palpator Pocock, 1901 -- see Vacrothele

Macrothele raveni Zhu, Li & Song, 2000 -- see Gigathele

Macrothele sanheensis Tang, Zhao & Yang, 2020 -- see Microthele

Macrothele sinensis Zhu & Mao, 1983 -- see Sinopesa

Macrothele sphaerica Zheng, Wu & Yang, 2024 -- see Microthele

Macrothele taiwanensis Shimojana & Haupt, 1998 -- see Vacrothele

Macrothele undata Tang, Zhao & Yang, 2020 -- see Microthele

Macrothele washanensis Wu & Z. Z. Yang, 2022 -- see Orientothele

Macrothele wuliangensis Wu & Z. Z. Yang, 2022 -- see Orientothele

Macrothele yaginumai Shimojana & Haupt, 1998 -- see Vacrothele

Macrothele yani Xu, Yin & Griswold, 2002 -- see Orientothele

Macrothele yunnanica Zhu & Song, 2000 -- see Vacrothele

In synonymy:

Macrothele fuliginea Simon, 1891 = Macrothele maculata (Thorell, 1890) (Kulczyński, 1908d: 538)

Macrothele luctuosa (Lucas, 1855) = Macrothele calpeiana (Walckenaer, 1805) (Blasco & Ferrández, 1986: 314, Snazell, 1986b: 82)

Macrothele variabilis Pavesi, 1898 = Macrothele maculata (Thorell, 1890) (Kulczyński, 1908d: 538)

Nomina dubia:

Macrothele abrupta Benoit, 1965 (j, DR Congo) -- Sherwood & Jocqué, 2025b: 69

Macrothele incisa Benoit, 1965 (j, DR Congo) -- Sherwood & Jocqué, 2025b: 69

Nomina nuda:

Macrothele makii Kishida -- Brignoli, 1983c: 122

Macrothele ornata Kishida, 1959: 367 (Japan/Okinawa) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:054942] -- Brignoli, 1983c: 122

Macrothele arcuata Tang, Zhao & Yang, 2020 | | China urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:052143

Macrothele arcuata Tang, Zhao & Yang, 2020: 131, f. 3A-L, 4A-D (Dmf) Original description

Macrothele arcuata Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 345 (incertae sedis)

Macrothele auriculata Zhang, Wu, Zhao & Yang, 2024 | | China urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:060560

Macrothele auriculata Zhang et al., 2024b: 75, f. 6A-C, 7A-F, 8A-D, 9A (Dmf) Original description

Macrothele auriculata Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 345 (incertae sedis)

Macrothele calpeiana (Walckenaer, 1805) | | Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Algeria urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:000186 TYPE SPECIES

Mygale calpeiana Walckenaer, 1805: 5, pl. 1, f. 1-2 (Df) Original description

Mygale calpeiana Hahn, 1822: 1, pl. 1, f. a-b

Mygale calpeiana Lucas, 1849b: Atlas 3: 2, Arachnides pl. 1, f. 1a-b (m)

Mygale luctuosa Lucas, 1855: 17, pl. 5, f. 1-2 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:056262]

Diplura calpeiana Thorell, 1870b: 167

Macrothele calpetana Ausserer, 1871a: 181 (unjustified emendation)

Macrothele luctuosa Ausserer, 1871a: 182

Macrothele calpetana Simon, 1892a: 184, f. 125 (f)

Macrothele calpetana Blasco & Ferrández, 1986: 314, f. 1-2 (Dm, f, S of Macrothele luctuosa)

Macrothele calpeiana Snazell, 1986b: 82 (S of Macrothele luctuosa confirmed)

Macrothele calpeiana Snazell & Allison, 1989: 65, f. 1-4, 8 (mf)

Macrothele calpeiana Le Peru, 2011: 64, f. 22 (mf)

Macrothele calpeiana Hernández-Corral & Ferrández, 2025: 31, f. 1A-I (m)

Macrothele camerunensis Simon, 1903 | | Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:000187

Macrothele camerunensis Simon, 1903e: 66 (Df) Original description

Macrothele camerunensis Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 345 (incertae sedis)

Macrothele cangshanensis Z. B. Yang, Zhao, Zhang & Z. Z. Yang, 2018 | | China urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:050778

Macrothele cangshanensis Yang et al., 2018: 97, f. 1A-V (Dm) Original description

Macrothele cangshanensis Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 345 (incertae sedis)

Macrothele cretica Kulczyński, 1903 | | Greece (Crete) urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:000188

Macrothele cretica Kulczyński, 1903a: 35, pl. 1, f. 1 (Dm) Original description

Macrothele cretica Snazell & Allison, 1989: 70, f. 5-7 (m)

Macrothele cretica Le Peru, 2011: 64, f. 23 (m)

Macrothele cretica Chatzaki & Komnenov, 2019: 271, f. 1A-E, 2A-E (m, Df)

Macrothele cretica Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 345 (incertae sedis)

Macrothele decemnotata Simon, 1909 | | Vietnam urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:000189

Macrothele decemnotata Simon, 1909e: 72 (Dm) Original description

Macrothele decemnotata Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 345 (incertae sedis)

Macrothele drolshageni Özkütük, Elverici, Yağmur & Kunt, 2019 | | Turkey urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:051159

Macrothele drolshageni Özkütük et al., 2019b: 180, f. 1A-D, 2A-B (Df) Original description

Macrothele drolshageni Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 345 (incertae sedis)

Macrothele indicola (Tikader, 1969) | | India urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:000317

Ischnothele indicola Tikader, 1969b: 160, f. 25-29 (Dmf) Original description

Ischnothele indicola Coyle, 1995: 29 (misplaced in Ischnothelinae)

Macrothele indicola Tripathi et al., 2025: 208, f. 13A-M (mf, T from Ischnothele)

Macrothele maculata (Thorell, 1890) | | Myanmar, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java) urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:000194

Diplura maculata Thorell, 1890a: 409 (Df) Original description

Macrothele fuliginea Simon, 1891e: 306 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:056263]

Macrothele maculata Thorell, 1897a: 184

Macrothele variabilis Pavesi, 1898b: 94 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:000202]

Macrothele maculata Kulczyński, 1908d: 538, pl. 23, f. 8 (Dm, S of Macrothele fuliginea and M. variabilis)

Macrothele maculata Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 345 (incertae sedis)

Macrothele maculata annamensis Hogg, 1922 | | Vietnam urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:000195

Macrothele maculata annamensis Hogg, 1922: 285 (Df) Original description

Macrothele maculata annamensis Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 345 (incertae sedis)

Macrothele multispine Wang, Li & Yang, 2019 | | China urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:051484

Macrothele multispine Wang, Li & Yang, 2019: 110, f. A-I (Dmf) Original description

Macrothele multispine Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 345 (incertae sedis)

Macrothele nullispine Zhang, Wu, Zhao & Yang, 2024 | | China urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:060559

Macrothele nullispine Zhang et al., 2024b: 71, f. 2A-B, 3A-F, 4A-D, 5A (Dmf) Original description

Macrothele proserpina Simon, 1909 | | Vietnam urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:000197

Macrothele proserpina Simon, 1909e: 71 (Df) Original description

Macrothele proserpina Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 345 (incertae sedis)

Macrothele segmentata Simon, 1892 | | Malaysia urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:000198

Macrothele segmentata Simon, 1892d: 284 (Df) Original description

Macrothele segmentata Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 345 (incertae sedis)

Macrothele simplicata (Saito, 1933) | | Taiwan urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:000199

Ischnothele simplicata Saitō, 1933b: 34, pl. 3, f. 3 (Df) Original description

Macrothele simplicata Saito, 1959: 32, f. 3a-e (f, T from Ischnothele)

Macrothele simplicata Yoshida, 1978b: 9, f. 33-35 (f)

Macrothele simplicata Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 345 (incertae sedis)

Macrothele triangularis Benoit, 1965 | | DR Congo urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:000201

Macrothele triangularis Benoit, 1965a: 125, f. 9 (Df) Original description

Macrothele triangularis Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 345 (incertae sedis)

Macrothele triangularis Sherwood & Jocqué, 2025b: 71, f. 3A-G (f)

Macrothele vidua Simon, 1906 | | India urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:000203

Macrothele vidua Simon, 1906c: 306 (Df) Original description

Macrothele vidua Gravely, 1915: 286, pl. 15, f. 5 (Dm)

Macrothele vidua Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 345 (incertae sedis)

Macrothele yongshengensis Z. B. Yang, Zhao & Z. Z. Yang, 2019 | | China urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:052771

Macrothele yongshengensis Yang, Zhao & Yang, 2019: 45, f. 1A-D, 2A-H (Df) Original description

Macrothele yongshengensis Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 345 (incertae sedis)

Macrothele yunlingensis Z. B. Yang, Zhao & Z. Z. Yang, 2019 | | China urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:052772

Macrothele yunlingensis Yang, Zhao & Yang, 2019: 46, f. 3A-D, 4A-H (Df) Original description

Macrothele yunlingensis Shao, Zhou & Lin, 2025: 345 (incertae sedis)