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