Wandering spider

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Wandering spiders
Temporal range: Neogene–present
Phoneutria nigriventer
Male Ctenus caligineus
Scientific classification Edit this 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.[1]

They are highly defensive[2] and venomous nocturnal hunters. Wandering spiders are known to hunt large prey, for example hylid species Dendropsophus branneri.[3] 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,[4] so all larger ctenids should be treated with caution.

General

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Main article: List of Ctenidae species

As of September 2025, the World Spider Catalog accepted the following genera:[5]

  • 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:

See also

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References

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  1. ^ McGavin, George C. (2002). Insects and Other Terrestrial Arthropods. New York: Dorling Kindersley Ltd. p. 230. ISBN 0-7894-9392-6.
  2. ^ Bücherl, Wolfgang; Buckley, Eleanor E. (2013). Venomous Animals and Their Venoms: Venomous Invertebrates. Elsevier. p. 237. ISBN 978-1-4832-6289-5.
  3. ^ 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.
  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.
  5. ^ "Family: Ctenidae Keyserling, 1877". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
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