What name is given to the group of spiders including tarantulas?

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What name is given to the group of spiders including tarantulas? Mygalomorphae is the infraorder that includes tarantulas and their close relatives.

Mygalomorphs also include trapdoor spiders, Australian funnel-web spiders, and mouse spiders. Many are heavy-bodied burrowers, and some seal their burrows with hinged silk-and-soil doors. Their fangs point downward and move largely in parallel, a feature behind the older name “Orthognatha.”

The group is one of the three major branches of living spiders, alongside the araneomorphs and the more ancient-looking mesotheles. Mygalomorphs retain two pairs of book lungs, while most araneomorphs have one pair. They are often described as primitive spiders, but that label can be misleading: they are highly specialized predators with distinctive anatomy and behavior. Tarantulas are only one part of the group, not a synonym for Mygalomorphae.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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