Femora IV with smooth trichobothrial shaft; male pedipalp with cymbial dorso-basal process shorter than half the cymbial width and perpendicular to the cymbium longitudinal axis; females with long, tubular fertilization ducts connected to both copulatory ducts and spermathecal bulb, copulatory and fertilization ducts running parallel before entering into spermathecal bulb.
Long-jawed Spiders
Tetragnathidae Menge, 1866
Type genus: Tetragnatha Latreille, 1804
(after Álvarez-Padilla & Hormiga 2011): Tetragnathid females can be differentiated from other araneoids by the following combination of features: cheliceral boss present with its cuticle either smooth or similar to the rest of the anterior surface of chelicerae; clypeus more than one AME diameter high; labium trapezoidal and rebordered; a flat epigynum, when present; anterior lateral spinneret piriform spigot bases separated from the spigot shaft by a torus, absent in Meta and Mollemeta; absence of aciniform spigots on the PMS, present in Azilia and Meta; and cylindrical spigots on the posterior lateral spinneret peripheral in position. Males of Tetragnathidae are distinguished from other araneoids by their large cymbial tarsal organ, larger than the surrounding macrosetal bases; absence of tegular apophyses, except for the conductor; conductor and embolus coiled together; apical position of the embolic division; and by having the embolus connected to the tegulum by a membrane.
Publications
Álvarez-Padilla F, Hormiga G (2011): Morphological and phylogenetic atlas of the orb-weaving spider family Tetragnathidae (Araneae: Araneoidea). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 162: 713 - 879