Ground spider Family of spiders
Ground spiders comprise Gnaphosidae , the seventh largest spider family with about 2,500 described species in over 100 genera distributed worldwide. There are 105 species known to central Europe , and common genera include Gnaphosa Drassodes Micaria Cesonia Zelotes Clubionidae . At present, no ground spiders are known to be seriously venomous to humans.
Hunting behavior
Ground spiders hunt by active foraging, chasing down and subduing individual prey items. They are adapted to hunting large and potentially dangerous prey, including other spiders, which they subdue by using their silk. When hunting, ground spiders produce thick, gluey silk from their enlarged spinnerets and attempt to use it to entangle their prey in swathing attacks, often applying their webbing to their prey's legs and mouths. By immobilizing potential prey in this manner, ground spiders can subdue proportionally large creatures while reducing risk of injury to themselves from their prey's attempts to fight back.
Description
Generally, ground spiders are characterized by having barrel-shaped anterior spinnerets that are one spinneret diameter apart. The main exception to this rule is found in the ant-mimicking genus Micaria . Another characteristic is an indentation in the endites (paired mouthparts anterior and lateral to the labium, or lip). All ground spiders lack a prey-capture web and generally run prey down on the surface. They hunt at night and spend the day in a silken retreat.
The genitalia are diverse and are a good model for studying the evolution of genitalia because of their peculiar copulatory mechanism. The thick-walled egg sacs are guarded by the mother until the spiderlings hatch.
Genera
As of January 2026 [ update]
Afrodrassex Haddad & Booysen , 2022Angola , South Africa Algarvezelotes Wunderlich , 2023Portugal Allomicythus Ono, 2009 – China , Vietnam Allozelotes Yin & Peng, 1998 – ChinaAlmafuerte Grismado & Carrión, 2017 – Argentina , Bolivia , Uruguay Amazoromus Brescovit & Höfer, 1994 – Brazil Ammoxenus Simon , 1893Amusia Tullgren , 1910Anagraphis Simon, 1893 – Ethiopia , Libya , Asia, Russia , Southern Europe, East AfricaAnagrina Berland , 1920Kenya , Niger Aneplasa Tucker , 1923Anzacia Dalmas , 1919Oceania Aphantaulax Simon, 1878 – Africa, Asia, Russia, France , Australia, North Africa, São Tomé and PríncipeApodrassodes Vellard, 1924 – Costa Rica , Guatemala , Mexico , South AmericaApodrassus Chamberlin , 1916Peru Aponetius Kamura, 2020 – Japan Apopyllus Platnick & Shadab , 1984Bonaire , Curaçao , Mexico, South AmericaArauchemus Ott & Brescovit, 2012 – BrazilAsemesthes Simon, 1887 – Angola, Ethiopia, Southern AfricaAsiabadus Roewer , 1961Australoechemus Schmidt & Piepho, 1994 – Cape Verde , Ascension IsAustrammo Platnick, 2002 – AustraliaAvstroneulanda Zakharov & Ovtsharenko, 2022 – Australia, Papua New Guinea Barrowammo Platnick, 2002 – AustraliaBenoitodes Platnick, 1993 – St. Helena Berinda Roewer, 1928 – Tanzania , Egypt , Western Asia, Cyprus , Greece . Introduced to JapanBerlandina Dalmas, 1922 – Africa, Asia, Alps, Mediterranean to Central AsiaCabanadrassus Mello-Leitão , 1941Callilepis Westring, 1874 – Asia, Europe, Mexico, North America Callipelis Zamani & Marusik , 2017 – Iran Camillina Berland, 1919 – Africa, Italy , North America, South America. Introduced to Malaysia Canariognapha Wunderlich, 2011 – Canary Islands Ceryerda Simon, 1909 – AustraliaCesonia Simon, 1893 – Turkey , Cyprus, Greece, North America, Azerbaijan , Bahama Is, Dominican Rep, Nevis, St, St. Kitts, Vincent, Virgin IsChatzakia Lissner & Bosmans, 2016 – Spain Civizelotes Senglet, 2012 – Morocco , Asia, EuropeCladothela Kishida, 1928 – China, Japan, Korea Coillina Yin & Peng, 1998 – China, Myanmar , India Coreodrassus Paik, 1984 – AsiaCryptodrassus Miller, 1943 – Algeria , Morocco, Tunisia , Asia, Russia, Southern EuropeCryptoerithus Rainbow, 1915 – AustraliaCubanopyllus Alayón & Platnick, 1993 – Cuba Dai Liu & Zhang, 2024 – ChinaDiaphractus Purcell , 1907Drassodes Westring, 1851 – Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Brazil, Chile , PeruDrassodex Murphy, 2007 – Turkey, Germany , Switzerland , Italy, Spain, FranceDrassyllus Chamberlin, 1922 – Asia, Mexico, North America, EuropeEchemella Strand , 1906DR Congo , EthiopiaEchemographis Caporiacco , 1955Venezuela Echemoides Mello-Leitão, 1938 – South AmericaEchemus Simon, 1878 – Africa, Asia, southern Europe, AustraliaEilica Keyserling , 1891Zimbabwe , India, Cuba, Jamaica , Panama , Australia, South America, USA to HondurasEncoptarthria Main, 1954 – AustraliaEpicharitus Rainbow, 1916 – AustraliaFedotovia Charitonov, 1946 – Afghanistan , Mongolia , IranGaviphosa Sankaran, 2021 – IndiaGertschosa Platnick & Shadab, 1981 – Jamaica, Panama, Mexico, United StatesGnaphosa Latreille , 1804Haplodrassus Chamberlin, 1922 – Africa, Asia, Europe, North AmericaHerpyllus Hentz , 1832Turkmenistan , Korea, Mexico, North America, ArgentinaHeser Tuneva, 2004 – Algeria, Kazakhstan , Turkmenistan, India, Mediterranean. Introduced to Burkina Faso , Mexico, United StatesHitobia Kamura, 1992 – AsiaHomoeothele Simon, 1908 – AustraliaHongkongia Song & Zhu, 1998 – Guinea-Bissau , Ivory Coast , China, Japan, Taiwan , Indonesia, Philippines , IndiaHotwheels Liu & Zhang, 2024 – ChinaHypodrassodes Dalmas, 1919 – Australia, New Caledonia, New ZealandIbala FitzPatrick , 2009Mozambique , Southern AfricaIntruda Forster, 1979 – Australia. Introduced to New ZealandIranotricha Zamani & Marusik, 2018 – IranKaitawa Forster, 1979 – New ZealandKikongo Rodrigues & Rheims, 2020 – Kenya, D.R. CongoKishidaia Yaginuma, 1960 – Asia, Russia, ItalyKituba Rodrigues & Rheims, 2020 – D.R. CongoLadissa Simon, 1907 – Benin , Sierra Leone , Pakistan Laronius Platnick & Deeleman-Reinhold , 2001 – China, Indonesia, Thailand Lasophorus Chatzaki, 2018 – Turkey, Cyprus, GreeceLatica Silva, Guerrero, Bidegaray-Batista & Simó, 2020 – Argentina, UruguayLatonigena Simon, 1893 – South AmericaLeptodrassex Murphy, 2007 – Mozambique, Algeria, Libya, South Africa, Lebanon , Portugal, Spain, FranceLeptodrassus Simon, 1878 – Ethiopia, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Israel, Azores , Canary Islands, Southern Europe, MexicoLeptopilos Levy , 2009Litopyllus Chamberlin, 1922 – Bahamas , Cuba, Mexico, United StatesMacarophaeus Wunderlich, 2011 – Canary Islands, MadeiraMarinarozelotes Ponomarev, 2020 – Ethiopia, Algeria, Egypt, Asia, Europe. Introduced to South Africa, Senegal , St. Helena, Hawaii , Mexico, United States, Samoa , South America, Ascension IsMarjanus Chatzaki, 2018 – China, Iran, Turkey, GreeceMarusik Lin & Li, 2023 – VietnamMatua Forster, 1979 – New ZealandMegamyrmaekion Reuss, 1834 – Africa, India, Iran, Israel, AustraliaMeizhelan Lin & Li, 2023 – ChinaMicaria Westring, 1851 – Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, AustraliaMicrodrassus Dalmas, 1919 – Seychelles Microsa Platnick & Shadab, 1977 – Cuba, Bahama Is, Virgin IsMicythus Thorell , 1897Minosia Dalmas, 1921 – Africa, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Western Asia, Spain, FranceMinosiella Dalmas, 1921 – Somalia , Northern Africa, Afghanistan, Western Asia, GreeceMolycria Simon, 1887 – AustraliaMontebello Hogg, 1914 – AustraliaMyandra Simon, 1887 – AustraliaNauhea Forster, 1979 – New ZealandNeodrassex Ott, 2012 – Argentina, BrazilNodocion Chamberlin, 1922 – Canada, Mexico, United StatesNomindra Platnick & Baehr, 2006 – Australia, Southern AustraliaNomisia Dalmas, 1921 – Africa, Asia, Europe, Mediterranean, Middle EastNotiodrassus Bryant, 1935 – New ZealandOdontodrassus Jézéquel , 1965Orodrassus Chamberlin, 1922 – Canada, United StatesParabonna Mello-Leitão, 1947 – BrazilParasyrisca Schenkel , 1963Hungary , Ukraine, Russia, North AmericaPhaeocedus Simon, 1893 – Asia, Russia, Southern Europe, FrancePlatnickus Liu & Zhang, 2023 – ChinaPoecilochroa Westring, 1874 – Africa, Korea, Indonesia, Philippines, India, Canary Islands, Italy, Portugal, Spain, France, French Polynesia , Brazil, Galapagos , Peru, Europe to Central Asia, São Tomé and PríncipePseudodrassus Caporiacco, 1935 – Libya, China, TurkeyPterotricha Kulczyński , 1903Pterotrichina Dalmas, 1921 – Northern Africa, Pakistan, Malta Rastellus Platnick & Griffin, 1990 – Southern AfricaSanitubius Kamura, 2001 – China, Japan, KoreaScopoides Platnick, 1989 – Mexico, United StatesScotocesonia Caporiacco, 1947 – Guyana Scotognapha Dalmas, 1920 – Canary Islands, Savage IsScotophaeus Simon, 1893 – Africa, Asia, Europe, New Zealand, Argentina, East Africa, Salvages. Introduced to Hawaii, PeruSergiolus Simon, 1892 – China, Japan, Korea, North AmericaSernokorba Kamura, 1992 – China, Japan, Korea, Hungary, Bulgaria, Russia, Spain, FranceSetaphis Simon, 1893 – Africa, Asia, Canary Islands, Southern EuropeShaitan Kovblyuk, Kastrygina & Marusik, 2013 – Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iran, RussiaShiragaia Paik, 1992 – KoreaSidydrassus Esyunin & Tuneva, 2002 – Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Iran, RussiaSmionia Dalmas, 1920 – Mozambique, Botswana, South Africa, Cape VerdeSolitudes Lin & Li, 2020 – ChinaSorkinius Sherwood, Jocqué , Cazanove & Derepas, 2025 – Eastern Africa, South Africa, Yemen Sosticus Chamberlin, 1922 – Kazakhstan, China, Caucasus , Iran, Russia, Canada, United StatesSymphanodes Rainbow, 1916 – AustraliaSynaphosus Platnick & Shadab, 1980 – Africa, Asia, Europe, United States. Introduced to Cape Verde, Mexico, Ascension Island Talanites Simon, 1893 – Egypt, Tunisia, Asia, Ukraine, Russia, Cyprus, Mexico, United StatesTalanitoides Levy, 2009 – IsraelTitus O. Pickard-Cambridge , 1901Trachyzelotes Lohmander, 1944 – Caucasus, Iran, TurkeyTrephopoda Tucker, 1923 – Botswana, Namibia, South AfricaTrichothyse Tucker, 1923 – Africa, Tajikistan , Uzbekistan , India, Iran, Israel, Turkey, Europe, Portugal to Turkmenistan. Introduced to Cape VerdeTurkozelotes Kovblyuk & Seyyar, 2009 – Morocco, Kazakhstan, Western Asia, EuropeUrozelotes Mello-Leitão, 1938 – Zambia , India, Russia, Italy, Portugal, France. Introduced to Australia, both Americas, tropical AfricaVerita Ramírez & Grismado, 2016 – ArgentinaWesmaldra Platnick & Baehr, 2006 – AustraliaWydundra Platnick & Baehr, 2006 – Australia, Indonesia, MalaysiaXerophaeus Purcell, 1907 – Africa, Yemen Xizangiana Sherwood, Li & Zhang, 2022 – China, IndiaYoruba Rodrigues & Rheims, 2020 – Ivory Coast, Nigeria Yuqilin Lin & Li, 2023 – ChinaZagrotes Zamani, Chatzaki, Esyunin & Marusik, 2021 – IranZelanda Özdikmen, 2009 – New ZealandZelominor Snazell & Murphy, 1997 – Algeria, Portugal, SpainZelotes Gistel, 1848 – Africa, Asia, Europe, North America to South AmericaZelotibia Russell-Smith & Murphy, 2005 – Congo, Eastern AfricaZelowan Murphy & Russell-Smith, 2010 – Congo, Burundi , NamibiaZimiromus Banks , 1914Trinidad , Costa Rica, Nicaragua , Panama, Mexico, South America, Bahama Is, Virgin Is
References
Platnick, N.I. & Shadab, M.U. (1983): A revision of the American spiders of the genus Zelotes (Araneae, Gnaphosidae). Bulletin of the AMNH 174 : 99-191. PDF (29Mb) - Abstract
