Mesothelae

From meso- (“intermediate”, from Ancient Greek μέσος (mésos)) +‎ Ancient Greek θηλαί pl (thēlaí, “nipples”).

Mesothelae f pl

1. A taxonomic suborder within the order Araneae – certain spiders that retain ancestral characteristics, such as a segmented abdomen with spinnerets in the middle, and are found only in China, Japan and southeast Asia.

Thought to form the sister group to all other living spiders.

• (suborder): Eukaryota – superkingdom; Animalia – kingdom; Bilateria – subkingdom; Protostomia – infrakingdom; Ecdysozoa – superphylum; Arthropoda – phylum; Chelicerata – subphylum; Arachnida – class; Araneae - order

• (suborder): Liphistiidae (sole extant family)
  • †Arthrolycosidae, †Arthromygalidae, †Burmathelidae, †Cretaceothelidae, †Eomesothelidae, †Parvithelidae, †Pyritaraneidae (extinct families)
  • †Palaeothele (extinct genus, incertae sedis)

• Mesothelae on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Mesothelae on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Category:Mesothelae on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons