The family Liphistiidae comprises 5 genera and 87 species [1] (http://research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/catalog/COUNTS.html). They are also among the most primitive living spiders, belonging to the suborder Mesothelae. They are rarely seen, burrowing spiders from Southeast Asia, China, and Japan characterized by their downward pointing, daggerlike chelicerae, and by having a segmented series of plates on the upper surface of their abdomens. At least some members of this family, (such as the Kimura-gumo), live in comparatively primitive trapdoor shelters.Template:Invertebrate-stub
