Simziella

Simziella
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Dictynidae
Genus: Simziella
Cala-Riquelme & Alequín, 2025
Type species
Dictyna major
Menge, 1869
Species

14, see text

Simziella is a genus of spiders in the family Dictynidae.

Distribution

Simziella is distributed across the Northern Hemisphere, with the greatest diversity in North America and Russia. The genus occurs throughout much of North America from Canada to Mexico, across northern and eastern Europe, and extensively through Russia from the European portion eastward to the Far East and Wrangel Island.

S. major has the widest distribution, being found in North America, and Europe to China. S. teideensis is endemic to the Canary Islands.

Etymology

The genus is named after the Romanian fairy tale Ileana Simziana ("The Princess Who Would Be a Prince").

Taxonomy

Species in this genus were formerly placed in Dictyna and Emblyna (S. canadas, S. teideensis).

Species

As of October 2025, this genus includes fourteen species and one subspecies:

References

  1. 1 2 Montana, K. O.; Cala-Riquelme, F.; Crews, S. C.; Gorneau, J. A.; Al-Jamal, A. M.; Alequín, L. D.; Spagna, J. C.; Ballarin, F.; Esposito, L. A. (2025). "Tailor's drawer no more: a reappraisal of the spider family Dictynidae O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871 sensu lato". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 204: 1–97. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf007.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Gen. Simziella Cala-Riquelme & Alequín, 2025". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-29.