Spiders are classified often on the basis of their hunting lifestyles. For example:
- Hunters - These spiders lie in wait often either hiding near prey or use camouflage
- Burrowers - These make burrows and come out of them to catch prey
- Weavers - these build elaborate webs to catch flying insects.
Source: Questacon/ Australian museum exhibition Spiders 2015
Spiders are also classified on their appearance and genetic make up. This is commonly referred to as spider taxonomy.
- Order Araneae
- Suborder Mesothelae - The only living members of the primitive Mesothelae are the family Liphistiidae, found only in Southeast Asia, China, and Japan
- Suborder Opisthothelae
- Mygalomorphae - The Mygalomorphae, which first appeared in the Triassic period, are generally heavily built and hairy, with large, robust chelicerae and fangs. Well-known examples include tarantulas, trapdoor spiders and the Australasian funnel-web spiders.
- Araneomorphae - Accounting for over 90% of spider species, the Araneomorphae, also known as the "true spiders", include orb-web spiders, the cursorial wolf spiders, and jumping spiders, as well as the only known herbivorous spider, Bagheera kipping.
- Mygalomorphae - The Mygalomorphae, which first appeared in the Triassic period, are generally heavily built and hairy, with large, robust chelicerae and fangs. Well-known examples include tarantulas, trapdoor spiders and the Australasian funnel-web spiders.
source: Spider. (2015, November 27). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 07:47, December 19, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spider&oldid=692734928