Wandering spider

Wandering spiders; Temporal range: Neogene–present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Phoneutria nigriventer
	Male Ctenus caligineus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Ctenidae; Keyserling, 1877
Diversity
	49 genera, 533 species
	blue: reported countries (WSC); green: observation hotspots (iNaturalist)

Wandering spiders (Ctenidae) are a family of spiders that includes the Brazilian wandering spiders. These spiders have a distinctive longitudinal groove on the top-rear of their oval carapace similar to those of the Amaurobiidae.

They are highly defensive and venomous nocturnal hunters. Wandering spiders are known to hunt large prey, for example hylid species Dendropsophus branneri. Despite their notoriety for being dangerous, only a few members of Phoneutria have venom known to be hazardous to humans, but the venoms of this family are poorly known, so all larger ctenids should be treated with caution.

Genera

As of September 2025^[update], the World Spider Catalog accepted the following genera:

Acantheis Thorell, 1891 – Asia
Acanthoctenus Keyserling, 1877 – South America, Central America, Jamaica, Mexico
Africactenus Hyatt, 1954 – Africa, India
Afroneutria Polotow & Jocqué, 2015 – Africa
Amauropelma Raven, Stumkat & Gray, 2001 – Asia, Australia
Amicactenus Henrard & Jocqué, 2017 – Africa
Anahita Karsch, 1879 – Africa, Asia, United States
Apolania Simon, 1898 – Seychelles
Arctenus Polotow & Jocqué, 2014 – Kenya
Asthenoctenus Simon, 1897 – South America
Bengalla Gray & Thompson, 2001 – Australia
Bowie Jäger, 2022
Bulboctenus Pereira, Labarque & Polotow, 2020 – Brazil
Califorctenus Jiménez, Berrian, Polotow & Palacios-Cardiel, 2017
Caloctenus Keyserling, 1877 – Ethiopia, South America
Celaetycheus Simon, 1897 – Brazil
Centroctenus Mello-Leitão, 1929, including Parabatinga Polotow & Brescovit, 2009 – South America
Chococtenus Dupérré, 2015 – Ecuador, Colombia
Ciba Bloom, Binford, Esposito, Alayón, Peterson, Nishida, Loubet-Senear & Agnarsson, 2014 – Cuba, Dominican Republic
Ctenus Walckenaer, 1805 – Africa, South America, Oceania, Central America, Asia, North America, Caribbean
Diallomus Simon, 1897 – Sri Lanka
Eldivo Hazzi & Hormiga, 2024
Enoploctenus Simon, 1897 – South America, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Gephyroctenus Mello-Leitão, 1936 – Brazil, Peru
Guasuctenus Polotow & Brescovit, 2019
Isoctenus Bertkau, 1880 – Brazil, Argentina
Janusia Gray, 1973 – Australia
Kiekie Polotow & Brescovit, 2018 – Colombia, Central America, Mexico
Leptoctenus L. Koch, 1878 – Australia, North America, Panama
Macroctenus Henrard & Jocqué, 2017 – Guinea
Montescueia Carcavallo & Martínez, 1961 – Argentina
Nimbanahita Henrard & Jocqué, 2017 – Guinea
Nothroctenus Badcock, 1932 – Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay
Ohvida Polotow & Brescovit, 2009 – Cuba
Perictenus Henrard & Jocqué, 2017 – Guinea
Petaloctenus Jocqué & Steyn, 1997 – Africa
Phoneutria Perty, 1833 – South America
Phymatoctenus Simon, 1897 – Brazil, Guyana, Costa Rica
Piloctenus Henrard & Jocqué, 2017 – Guinea, Togo, Ivory Coast
Sinoctenus Marusik, Zhang & Omelko, 2012
Spinoctenus Hazzi, Polotow, Brescovit, González-Obando & Simó, 2018
Thoriosa Simon, 1910 – São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea
Toca Polotow & Brescovit, 2009 – Brazil
Trogloctenus Lessert, 1935 – Congo
Trujillina Bryant, 1948 – Caribbean
Tuticanus Simon, 1897 – Ecuador, Peru
Viracucha Lehtinen, 1967 – South America
Wiedenmeyeria Schenkel, 1953 – Venezuela

Formerly placed in this family:

Mahafalytenus Silva-Dávila, 2007; now in Viridasiidae

References

↑ McGavin, George C. (2002). Insects and Other Terrestrial Arthropods. New York: Dorling Kindersley Ltd. p. 230. ISBN 0-7894-9392-6.
↑ Bücherl, Wolfgang; Buckley, Eleanor E. (2013). Venomous Animals and Their Venoms: Venomous Invertebrates. Elsevier. p. 237. ISBN 978-1-4832-6289-5.
↑ de Araujo Lira, André Felipe (May 26, 2000). "Predation of Dendropsophus branneri (Cochran, 1948) (Anura: Hylidae) by wandering spider (Araneae: Ctenidae) in an Atlantic forest remnant". Herpetology Notes. 13: 421–424 – via Biotaxa.
↑ Okamoto; et al. (2009). "Ctenus medius and Phoneutria nigriventer spiders venoms share noxious proinflammatory activities". J. Med. Entomol. 46 (1): 58–66. doi:10.1603/033.046.0108. PMID 19198518. S2CID 33154932.
↑ "Family: Ctenidae Keyserling, 1877". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2025-09-22.

External links

Citizen science observations for Wandering spider at iNaturalist

This Ctenidae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

[mcgavin-1] McGavin, George C. (2002). Insects and Other Terrestrial Arthropods. New York: Dorling Kindersley Ltd. p. 230. ISBN 0-7894-9392-6.

[BuchBuck13-2] Bücherl, Wolfgang; Buckley, Eleanor E. (2013). Venomous Animals and Their Venoms: Venomous Invertebrates. Elsevier. p. 237. ISBN 978-1-4832-6289-5.

[araujo-3] Araujo Lira, André Felipe (May 26, 2000). "Predation of Dendropsophus branneri (Cochran, 1948) (Anura: Hylidae) by wandering spider (Araneae: Ctenidae) in an Atlantic forest remnant". Herpetology Notes. 13: 421–424 – via Biotaxa.

[okamoto-4] Okamoto; et al. (2009). "Ctenus medius and Phoneutria nigriventer spiders venoms share noxious proinflammatory activities". J. Med. Entomol. 46 (1): 58–66. doi:10.1603/033.046.0108. PMID 19198518. S2CID 33154932.

[NMBE-5] "Family: Ctenidae Keyserling, 1877". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2025-09-22.

Authority control databases
National	Israel
Other	Yale LUX

Wandering spiders Temporal range: Neogene–present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N

Phoneutria nigriventer

Male Ctenus caligineus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Ctenidae Keyserling, 1877
Diversity
49 genera, 533 species

blue: reported countries (WSC) green: observation hotspots (iNaturalist)