A molecular phylogeny of the European nesticid spiders (Nesticidae, Araneae): Implications for their systematics and biogeography
Journal: Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
Year: 2022

Nesticidae is a small family of spiders with a worldwide distribution that includes 15 genera and 272 described species. Seven genera and 56 species are known from Europe, distributed from the Iberian Peninsula to the Caucasus and the Ural Mountains. Most of these European species are cave dwellers and many of them are troglobites. In this study we present the first molecular phylogeny of the family Nesticidae in Europe with a wide geographical sampling across the continent. In our analysis the