Dictynidae O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871

Family |   ACCEPTED
N.B.: considered a senior synoym of Rhioidae Thorell, 1873 by Simon, 1892a: 241 (by transfer of the type genus); Blabomma and Yorima are transferred from the Dictynidae to the Cybaeidae by Wheeler et al., 2017: 606; Argyroneta was transferred from the Cybaeidae to the Dictynidae and Cicurina (as well as Chorizomma and Mastigusa [transferred to the Cybaeidae by Castellucci et al., 2023: 6], which are not explicitely listed by Wheeler et al., 2017) from the Dictynidae to the Hahniidae by Wheeler et al., 2017: 607; Cicurinidae are new circumscribed (Bromella, Cicurina and Chorizomma) and elevated to family by Gorneau et al., 2023: 11; Dictynidae were considered not monophyletic per Kulkarni, Wood & Hormiga, 2023: 515, f. 15-16; Argyronetidae are separated from the Dictynidae by Montana et al., 2025: 9 and include 12 genera, Argyroneta probably represents an own subfamily; Argyronetidae were seperated before (Ono, 2009a: 169, Murphy & Roberts, 2015: viii, with the single genus Argyroneta), but this was not accepted; Lathyidae are also separated from the Dictynidae by Montana et al., 2025: 43 and include 10 genera; Dictynidae are redefined by Montana et al., 2025: 79.
Gen. Nigma Lehtinen, 1967 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:01988
type Drassus flavescens Walckenaer, 1830; gender feminine
N.B.: new name for Heterodictyna sensu Dahl, 1924: 154 (not Heterodictyna Dahl, 1904: 118).

Transferred to other genera:

Nigma gratiosa (Simon, 1881) -- see Ajmonia

Nigma linsdalei (Chamberlin & Gertsch, 1958) -- see Califorenigma

Nigma numidica (Denis, 1937) -- see Ajmonia

Nigma patellaris (Simon, 1910) -- see Ajmonia

Nigma tristis (Spassky, 1952) -- see Dictyna

In synonymy:

Nigma canariensis Wunderlich, 1987 = Nigma puella (Simon, 1870) (Wunderlich, 1992a: 429)

Nigma eburnea (Schmidt, 1982, T from Dictyna) = Nigma puella (Simon, 1870) (Wunderlich, 1992a: 429)

Nigma lobensis (Schmidt, 1976, T from Dictyna) = Nigma puella (Simon, 1870) (Wunderlich, 1992a: 429)

Nigma orientalis (Kulczyński, 1895, T from Dictyna) = Nigma flavescens (Walckenaer, 1830) (Lehtinen, 1967: 252)

Nigma pallens (Blackwall, 1859) = Nigma flavescens (Walckenaer, 1830) (Thorell, 1873: 433, sub Ergatis)

Nigma palmarum (Simon, 1885) = Nigma conducens (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876) (Simon, 1907e: 1, sub Dictyna)

Nigma variabilis (C. L. Koch, 1836) = Nigma flavescens (Walckenaer, 1830) (Chyzer & Kulczyński, 1891: 158, sub Dictyna)

Nigma viridis (Wider, 1834, T from Theridion) = Nigma flavescens (Walckenaer, 1830) (Simon, 1914: 63, sub Dictyna)

Nigma vulnerata (Simon, 1914) = Nigma walckenaeri (Roewer, 1951) (Lecigne et al., 2022: 28)

Homonym replaced:

Nigma viridissima (Walckenaer, 1802) -- see Nigma walckenaeri Roewer, 1951 Roewer, 1951

Nigma albida (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1885) | | Pakistan, India, China (Yarkand) urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:022247
Dictyna albida O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1885b: 29 (Df) Original description
Dictyna albida Dyal, 1935: 157, pl. 14, f. 79 (f)
Nigma albida Esyunin & Sozontov, 2016: 202 (T from Dictyna)
Nigma conducens (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876) | | North Africa urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:022508
Dictyna conducens O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876b: 556, pl. 58, f. 3 (Dm) Original description
Dictyna palmarum Simon, 1885i: 33 (Dmf) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:059209]
Dictyna conducens Simon, 1907e: 1 (S of Dictyna palmarum)
Nigma conducens Lehtinen, 1967: 252, f. 329, 331 (mf, T from Dictyna)
"Nigma" conducens Esyunin, Zamani & Tuneva, 2017: 60 (incertae sedis, misplaced in the genus)
Nigma conducens Abdel-Ghani, Hassan & Sallam, 2023: 32, f. 6a-b (mf)
Nigma conducens Abdel-Ghani, 2025: 276, f. 5a-b, 6a-d, 7a-b (mf)
Nigma flavescens (Walckenaer, 1830) | | Europe, Caucasus, Iran urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:022509 TYPE SPECIES
Drassus flavescens Walckenaer, 1830: 179 (Dmf) Original description
Theridion viride Wider, 1834: 239, pl. 16, f. 11 (Dmf) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065172]
Dictyna variabilis C. L. Koch, 1836a: 29, f. 187 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065173]
Ergatis flavescens Blackwall, 1841a: 608
Argus flavescens Walckenaer, 1847a: 501
Ergatis pallens Blackwall, 1859a: 94 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065174]
Ergatis pallens Blackwall, 1861a: 145, pl. 10, f. 94 (f)
Dictyna variabilis Ohlert, 1867: 42 (Dm)
Ergatis variabilis Thorell, 1873: 433 (S of Ergatis pallens)
Dictyna flavescens Chyzer & Kulczyński, 1891: 158 (S of Dictyna variabilis)
Dictyna orientalis Kulczyński, 1895a: 34, pl. 1, f. 22-23 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065169]
Dictyna flavescens Becker, 1896: 214, pl. 14, f. 2 (f)
Dictyna flavescens Kulczyński, 1899: 330, pl. 6, f. 8-9 (m)
Dictyna flavescens Bösenberg, 1902: 241, pl. 22, f. 344 (mf)
Dictyna flavescens Simon, 1914: 51, 63, f. 101 (m, S of Theridion viride)
Heterodictyna flavescens Dahl, 1924: 154
Dictyna flavescens Drensky, 1940: 181, f. 9b, 10 (mf)
Dictyna flavescens Locket & Millidge, 1951: 64, f. 28C-D, G, 27C (mf)
Dictyna flavescens Wiehle, 1953: 83, f. 175-178b (mf)
Dictyna flavescens Muller, 1956: 199, f. 3-4 (f)
Heterodictyna flavescens Chamberlin & Gertsch, 1958: 47 (T from Dictyna)
Nigma flavescens Lehtinen, 1967: 252 (T from Heterodictyna, S of Dictyna orientalis and Nigma tristis [revalidated by Brignoli, 1983c: 516)
Dictyna flavescens Loksa, 1969: 39, f. 24E, 27B-C, 30B-C (mf)
Nigma flavescens Roberts, 1985: 52, f. 15b (mf)
Dictyna flavescens Hu & Li, 1987a: 319, f. 3.1-2 (f)
Nigma flavescens Heimer & Nentwig, 1991: 380, f. 987 (mf)
Nigma flavescens Roberts, 1995: 86, f. (mf)
Nigma flavescens Roberts, 1998: 88, f. (mf)
Nigma flavescens Song, Zhu & Chen, 1999: 365, f. 215S-T (f)
Nigma flavescens Hu, 2001: 111, f. 29.1-2 (f)
Nigma flavescens Wunderlich, 2011: 313, f. 2, 5, 8, 10, 17 (m)
Nigma flavescens Lecigne, 2016d: 21, f. 9F-I (mf)
Nigma flavescens Russell-Smith, 2017: 16, f. 1, 2B (m)
Nigma flavescens Kuralt & Kostanjšek, 2019: 31, f. 6 (m)
Nigma flavescens Tilly & Tilly, 2019: 8, f. 7A-B (m)
Nigma flavescens Henrard et al., 2025a: 109, f. 4A-F (mf)
Nigma gertschi (Berland & Millot, 1940) | | Senegal urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:022510
Dictyna gertschi Berland & Millot, 1940: 152, f. 4 (Dmf) Original description
Nigma gertschi Lehtinen, 1967: 252 (T from Dictyna)
Nigma hortensis (Simon, 1870) | | Portugal, Spain, France, Algeria urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:022511
Dictyna hortensis Simon, 1870b: 296 (Dmf) Original description
Dictyna hortensis Simon, 1914: 50, 63, f. 97, 99 (mf)
Heterodictyna hortensis Chamberlin & Gertsch, 1958: 47 (T from Dictyna)
Nigma hortensis Lehtinen, 1967: 252 (T from Heterodictyna)
Dictyna hortensis Barrientos & Ferrández, 1982: 84, f. 2A, 3A (m)
Nigma hortensis Wunderlich, 2011: 313, f. 19 (m)
Nigma hortensis Lissner, 2017b: 52, f. 1a-b, 2a-b (f)
Nigma laeta (Spassky, 1952) | | Azerbaijan, Iran, Tajikistan urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:022512
Dictyna laeta Spassky, 1952: 202, f. 2 (Df) Original description
Dictyna laeta Andreeva & Tystshenko, 1969: 378, f. 4a (Dm, removed from S of Nigma walckenaeri, rejecting Lehtinen, 1967: 252)
Dictyna laeta Andreeva, 1976: 24, f. 23 (m)
Nigma laeta Brignoli, 1983c: 515 (T from Dictyna, validity confirmed)
"Nigma" laeta Esyunin, Zamani & Tuneva, 2017: 55, f. 18-26, 29 (mf, incertae sedis, misplaced in this genus)
Nigma longipes (Berland, 1914) | | East Africa urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:022514
Dictyna longipes Berland, 1914: 55, f. 12-18 (Dmf) Original description
Dictyna longipes Caporiacco, 1949a: 325, f. 4 (mf)
Nigma longipes Lehtinen, 1967: 252 (Tmf from Dictyna)
"Nigma" longipes Esyunin, Zamani & Tuneva, 2017: 60 (incertae sedis, misplaced in the genus)
Nigma nangquianensis (Hu, 2001) | | China urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:037800
Dictyna nangquianensis Hu, 2001: 105, f. 25.1-2 (Df) Original description
Nigma nangquianensis Esyunin & Sozontov, 2016: 202 (T from Dictyna)
Nigma puella (Simon, 1870) | | Azores, Madeira, Canary Is., Europe, Algeria, Tunisia urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:022515
Dictyna puella Simon, 1870b: 299 (Df) Original description
Dictyna puella Simon, 1874a: 180, pl. 3, f. 4 (f)
Dictyna puella Kulczyński, 1899: 330, pl. 6, f. 7, 10 (f, Dm)
Dictyna puella Simon, 1914: 51, 64, f. 98-99 (mf)
Dictyna puella Locket & Millidge, 1951: 64, f. 23B, 26A-B, E, 27A (mf)
Heterodictyna puella Chamberlin & Gertsch, 1958: 47 (T from Dictyna)
Nigma puella Lehtinen, 1967: 252 (T from Heterodictyna)
Dictyna lobensis Schmidt, 1976: 321, f. 4 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065168]
Dictyna eburnea Schmidt, 1982: 394, f. 2 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065167]
Nigma puella Roberts, 1985: 52, f. 15a (mf)
Nigma canariensis Wunderlich, 1987a: 226, f. 593-596a (Dmf) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065166]
Nigma puella Heimer & Nentwig, 1991: 380, f. 988 (m)
Nigma puella Wunderlich, 1992a: 429 (S of Dictyna eburnea, D. lobensis and Nigma canariensis)
Nigma puella Millidge, 1993c: 154, f. 55 (f)
Nigma puella Roberts, 1995: 86, f. (mf)
Nigma puella Roberts, 1998: 88, f. (mf)
Nigma puella Wunderlich, 2011: 313, f. 4, 6, 9, 13, 18 (m)
Nigma puella Russell-Smith, 2017: 17, f. 2A (m)
Nigma puella Breitling, 2020: 342, f. 7C (f)
Nigma puella Rehfeldt & Cassar, 2024: 22, f. 7a-b, 40d (f)
Nigma puella Henrard et al., 2025a: 104, f. 2A-H, 3A-H (mf)
Nigma shiprai (Tikader, 1966) | | India, Nepal urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:022516
Dictyna shiprai Tikader, 1966d: 46, f. 2a-c (Dmf) Original description
Dictyna rebai Tikader, 1966d: 45, f. 1c (m; misidentified per Lehtinen, 1967: 252)
Nigma shiprai Lehtinen, 1967: 252 (T from Dictyna)
Nigma tuberosa Wunderlich, 1987 | | Canary Is. urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:022518
Nigma tuberosa Wunderlich, 1987a: 227, f. 597-601 (Dmf) Original description
Nigma tuberosa Wunderlich, 2011: 313, f. 14-15 (m)
Nigma walckenaeri (Roewer, 1951) | | Europe, Algeria, Tunisia, Turkey, Caucasus urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:022520
Aranea viridissima Walckenaer, 1802: 212 (Dmf; preoccupied by De Geer, 1778, see Micrommata virescens) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:065175]
Drassus viridissimus Walckenaer, 1805: 46
Ergatis viridissima Blackwall, 1841a: 608
Argus viridissimus Walckenaer, 1847a: 501
Dictyna viridissima Simon, 1874a: 183
Dictyna viridissima Bertkau, 1883: 379, pl. 11, f. 8 (f)
Dictyna viridissima Becker, 1896: 216, pl. 14, f. 3 (mf)
Dictyna viridissima Berland, 1913c: 34, f. 23-26 (mf)
Dictyna viridissima vulnerata Simon, 1914: 51, 63 (Df; suppressed for lack of usage, see ICZN article 23.9.3 and Lecigne et al., 2022: 28) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:022519]
Dictyna viridissima Simon, 1914: 51, 63, f. 100 (mf)
Dictyna viridissima Gerhardt, 1921: 96, 173, f. 8 (m)
Dictyna viridissima Reimoser, 1932: 60, f. 5 (mf)
Dictyna viridissima Drensky, 1940: 181, f. 7, 9a (mf)
Dictyna viridissima Chrysanthus, 1949b: 352, f. 5 (m)
Dictyna viridissima Locket & Millidge, 1951: 64, f. 26C-D, F, 27B (mf)
Dictyna walckenaeri Roewer, 1951: 454 (replacement name) Original description
Dictyna walckenaeri Wiehle, 1953: 76, f. 164-171b (mf)
Heterodictyna viridissima Chamberlin & Gertsch, 1958: 47 (T from Dictyna)
Nigma walckenaeri Lehtinen, 1967: 252 (T from Heterodictyna, S of Dictyna laeta [revalidated by Andreeva & Tystshenko, 1969: 378, validity confirmed by Brignoli, 1983c: 515])
Dictyna viridissima Loksa, 1969: 39, f. 24F, 25, 27A, 30A, E (mf)
Nigma vulnerata Schmidt, 1973: 359 (elevated from subspecies)
Heterodictyna walckenaeri Locket, Millidge & Merrett, 1974: 2
Dictyna viridissima Barrientos & Ferrández, 1982: 84, f. 2B, 3B (m)
Nigma walckenaeri Roberts, 1985: 52, f. 15c (mf)
Nigma walckenaeri Heimer & Nentwig, 1991: 380, f. 986 (mf)
Nigma walckenaeri Roberts, 1995: 87, f. (mf)
Nigma walckenaeri Roberts, 1998: 89, f. (mf)
Nigma walckenaeri Topçu, Demir & Seyyar, 2005: 124, f. 5 (m)
Nigma walckenaeri Wunderlich, 2011: 313, f. 3, 7, 11-12, 16 (m)
Nigma walckenaeri Allen, 2019: 29, f. 1-2 (m)
Nigma walckenaeri Lecigne et al., 2022: 27, f. 11A-D (m, S of Nigma vulnerata)
Nigma walckenaeri Seropian et al., 2023: 236, f. 8-9 (m)
Nigma walckenaeri Roušar, 2023b: 11, f. 2 (m)
Nigma walckenaeri Henrard et al., 2025a: 110, f. 5A-F (mf)
Nigma walckenaeri Henrard et al., 2025b: 153, f. 2A-F, 3A-D (mf)

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