Patu (spider)

{{Short description| Genus of spiders}}

{{Automatic taxobox

| taxon = Patu

| authority = Marples, 1951

| type_species = P. vitiensis

| type_species_authority = Marples, 1951

| subdivision_ranks = Species

| subdivision = 18, see text

}}

Patu is a genus of dwarf orb-weavers that was first described by Brian John Marples in 1951.{{cite journal| last=Marples| first=B. J.| year=1951| title=Pacific symphytognathid spiders| journal=Pacific Science| pages=47–51| volume=5| author-link=Brian_J._Marples}} Two candidates for the "smallest species of spider", are in this genus, Patu digua{{cite book| first=William A.| last=Shear| title=Spiders--webs, Behavior, and Evolution| url=https://archive.org/details/spiderswebsbehav00shea| url-access=registration| year=1986| publisher=Stanford University Press| isbn=978-0-8047-1203-3| pages=[https://archive.org/details/spiderswebsbehav00shea/page/425 425]–}} and Patu marplesi.{{cite web| title=Smallest spider| url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/smallest-spider/| publisher=Guinness World Records| access-date=2017-07-06}}