The oonopid spiders (family Oonopidae) include about 450 species in about 65 genera worldwide. They are generally tiny (1-3 mm)haplogyne araneomorph spiders. Some have harden plates (scuta) on their abdomens. They often resemble mites, because of their small size and the fact that many species are reddish. These spiders are seldom seen by people as they are both too small to bite and too small to be easily noticed.
Common genera include Oonops, Gamasomorpha, Scaphiella, and Orchestina, among others. Generally, oonopid spiders are found under rocks and in leaflitter.
Bibliography
How to Know the Spiders by B. J. Kaston. Dubuque, 1953.
Spiders have eight legs compared to the insects' six, and their eyes (usually eight) are single lenses rather than compound eyes like those of most insects.
The spider's respiratory anatomy is based on a tracheal system, with each opening to the trachea as an extension of an outer pore reaching from the spider abdomen, protected by spiracles which are pores in the spider exoskeleton, composed of chitin.
Spiders often use elaborate mating rituals (especially in the visually advanced jumping spiders) to allow the male to approach close enough to inseminate the female without triggering a predatory response.
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