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Gertsch, W.J. 1992. Distribution patterns and speciation in North American cave spiders with a list of the troglobites and revision ofthe cicurinas of the subgenus Cicurella. Texas Mem. Mus., Speleol. Monogr., 3:75-122.DISTRffiUTION PATTERNS AND SPECIATION IN NORTH AMERICANCAVE SPIDERS WITH A LIST OF THE TROGLOBITESAND REVISION OF THE CICURINAS OF THE SUBGENUS CICURELLAWillis J. Gertsch!Curator Emeritus, Department of EntomologyAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryNew York, New YorkABSTRACTThe cave spiders of North America are discussed, withspecial emphasis on the distribution of troglobitic species. Listsare provided for the troglobitic spiders of the three principalregions in North America. The Appalachian region contains 18species in four genera and four families. California contains aminimum of 20 species in seven genera and five families. TheTexas fauna includes 61 species in four genera and four families.The cicurinas are sedentary spiders that spin funnel webs andtangled lines of dry silk in and under surface detritus and inground openings and caves. Cicurina is mostly an Americangenus with numerous species in most parts of North America anda few representatives in Japan, Korea, and Europe; the Europeanspecies Cicurina cicur (Fabricius) is the type of the genus. Thepresent paper deals only with the taxa assigned to the subgenusCicurella by Chamberlin and Ivie in 1940, which comprises aseries of mostly small forms derived from standard eight-eyedtypes of which many are progressively losing or have lost theireyes. A few typical cicurellas with eight or six eyes occur inArkansas and adjacent states as well as in Texas. Eyeless speciesso far are known mainly from Texas and most of these fromcaves in the Edwards Plateau region. A single eyeless Cicurellais found in Alabama and a few have been found in Mexico. Thecicurellas can be characterized as a derivative American groupfeaturing small size and loss of eyes nurtured in a special epigeanand cavernicole habitat.ICurrent address: P. O. Box 673, Douglas, AZ 85608DISTRmUTION AND SPECIAnON INNORTH AMERICAN CAVE SPIDERSSpiders have exploited the monotonous securityof the cave habitat with some success and act thereas predators of crawling and flying invertebrates.They enter all parts of caves and use them as transitory,semipermanent or permanent habitations.During many years I have been bringing togetherdata on cave spiders from all parts of this countrywith the following results. More than 400 speciesbelonging to 28 or more families have penetratedcaves to variable distances and spend part or all oftheir lives there. This motley assemblage includedbig-eyed diurnal hunting spiders that depend onsight for their hunting and presumably could notexist long in caves. Many of the others are notbound by deep ties and move freely in caves andoutside habitats that offer suitable conditions. Thepresent discussion is concerned largely with spidersof the United States that seem to be obligative cavernicoles,that is those that live in caves andpresumably cannot survive outside for long.Information on such taxa is available only fromscattered publications so I have prepared a general75