A group of five genera of spiders has in the past been placed in a special sub‐order the Hypo‐chilomorpha, lying between the Mygalomorpha and the Araneomorpha. In general they resemble the araneomorphs, but they share some primitive characters, notably the presence of two pairs of lungs. Four of them,Hypochilus, Ectatosticta, HickmaniaandAustrochilushave a cribellum, whileGradunguladoes not. In attempting to determine their relationships, their internal anatomy is here compared with that of the members of the three main suborders, Liphis‐tiomorpha, Mygalomorpha and Araneomorpha. The conclusion arrived at is that these genera belong to the Araneomorpha, and that there should not be a suborder Hypochilomorpha.HypochilusandEctatostictaare very similar and are placed in the family Hypochilidae, while the other three are placed in individual families. Within the Araneomorpha there seem to be two evolutionary lines. In one, the Cribellata, the anterior median spinnerets of the ancestor remained functional and became the cribellum. In the other, the Ecribellata, the anterior median spinnerets lost their function and became vestigial or absent. The most primitive cribel‐late family is the Hypochilidae, while the Gradungulidae is the most primitive ecribellate one, at least with respect to its lungs an