Sac spider

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Sac spider
Temporal range: Palaeogene–present
Clubiona trivialis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Clubionidae
Simon, 1878
Diversity
18 genera, 665 species

The sac spiders of the family Clubionidae[a] are nocturnal, sac-building hunting spiders with a near-worldwide distribution. Their sacs, silken retreats in which they hide during the day, may be made in a variety of places, including between folded leaves or grass blades, under bark and below rocks or other ground litter.[1]

Although formerly a much larger catch-all taxon, in its current definition the family contains less than 700 described species across 18 genera, of which Clubiona is by far most species-rich, with 528 accepted species as of November 2024.[2]

Taxonomy

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The Clubionidae have a complex taxonomic history. Historically, the family was a large catch-all taxon for a variety of spiders that shared the following morphological and behavioral similarities: having eight eyes arranged in two rows; having conical anterior spinnerets that touched; and being nocturnal wandering predators that build "sacs" to retreat to during the day.[citation needed]

A large number of genera have been transferred from Clubionidae to other families, and several former subfamilies of the Clubionidae are now treated as separate families.[3] The Zoropsidae, to which genera Anachemmis, Lauricius and Liocranoides were transferred, is much more closely related to the lynx spiders of family Oxyopidae than to the remaining Clubionidae.[4]

According to 2023 cladistic research by Siddharth Kulkarni, Hannah M. Wood and Gustavo Hormiga, the remaining Clubionidae remain polyphyletic as a result of the current placement of genus Elaver.[4]

Genera

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Main article: List of Clubionidae species

As of November 2024, the Clubionidae consist of over 665 species in 18 genera worldwide,[5] with by far the majority of species in genus Clubiona.

Genera

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As of October 2025, this family includes eighteen genera:[3]

Additionally, the World Spider Catalog considers Carteroniella Strand, 1907 to be a nomen dubium.[6]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ the term "sac spider" is also part of the common name of various non-clubionid spiders—such as yellow sac spiders (Cheiracanthiidae) or corinnid sac spiders (Corinnidae)—many of which were formerly included in Clubionidae

References

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  1. ^ Das Sarkar, Irina; Quasin, Shazia; Siliwal, Manju (April 2023). "Two new species of sac spiders (Araneae: Clubionidae) from the Indian Western Himalayas". Serket. 19: 126. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
  2. ^ "Clubiona Species list". World Spider Catalog Version 25.5. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Family: Clubionidae Simon, 1878". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-07.
  4. ^ a b Kulkarni, Siddharth; Wood, Hannah M.; Hormiga, Gustavo (December 2023). "Advances in the reconstruction of the spider tree of life: A roadmap for spider systematics and comparative studies". Cladistics. 39 (6): 479–532. doi:10.1111/cla.12557. ISSN 0748-3007. PMID 37787157.
  5. ^ "Clubionidae Simon, 1878 - Family Detail". World Spider Catalog Version 25.5. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  6. ^ "Carteroniella Strand 1907". World Spider Catalog version 25.5. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
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