Ground spider
Family of spiders
Ground spiders comprise Gnaphosidae , the seventh largest spider family with over 2,000 described species in over 100 genera distributed worldwide. There are 105 species known to central Europe ,[ 1] Gnaphosa Drassodes Micaria Cesonia Zelotes Clubionidae .[ 2]
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.[ 2] [ 3] [ 2]
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.[ 4]
Genera
As of January 2024[update] World Spider Catalog accepted the following genera:[ 5]
Allomicythus Ono, 2009 — VietnamAllozelotes Yin & Peng, 1998 — ChinaAlmafuerte Grismado & Carrión, 2017 — Bolivia, Argentina, UruguayAmazoromus Brescovit & Höfer, 1994 — BrazilAmmoxenus Simon, 1893 Amusia Tullgren, 1910 — South Africa, East AfricaAnagraphis Simon, 1893 — Africa, Asia, EuropeAnagrina Berland, 1920 — NigerAneplasa Tucker, 1923 — South Africa, AngolaAnzacia Dalmas, 1919 — Australia, New Zealand, Papua New GuineaAphantaulax Simon, 1878 — Asia, Africa, Australia, FranceApodrassodes Vellard, 1924 — South America, Mexico, IndiaApodrassus Chamberlin, 1916 — PeruAponetius Kamura, 2020 — Ryukyu Is.Apopyllus Platnick & Shadab, 1984 — South America, MexicoArauchemus Ott & Brescovit, 2012 — BrazilAsemesthes Simon, 1887 — AfricaAsiabadus Roewer, 1961 — AfghanistanAustraloechemus Schmidt & Piepho, 1994 — Cape Verde Is.Austrammo Platnick, 2002 Avstroneulanda Zakharov & Ovtsharenko, 2022 Barrowammo Platnick, 2002 Benoitodes Platnick, 1993 — St. HelenaBerinda Roewer, 1928 — Greece, Turkey, CyprusBerlandina Dalmas, 1922 — Asia, Africa, EuropeCabanadrassus Mello-Leitão, 1941 — ArgentinaCallilepis Westring, 1874 — Asia, North America, EuropeCallipelis Zamani & Marusik , 2017Camillina Berland, 1919 — Asia, Central America, South America, Africa, North America, Italy, CaribbeanCanariognapha Wunderlich, 2011 — Canary Is.Ceryerda Simon, 1909 — AustraliaCesonia Simon, 1893 — Greece, Turkey, North America, Central America, CaribbeanChatzakia Lissner & Bosmans, 2016 — SpainCivizelotes Senglet, 2012 — Asia, Morocco, EuropeCladothela Kishida, 1928 — Japan, China, KoreaCoillina Yin & Peng, 1998 — ChinaCoreodrassus Paik, 1984 — AsiaCryptodrassus Miller, 1943 — Europe, AsiaCryptoerithus Rainbow, 1915 — AustraliaCubanopyllus Alayón & Platnick, 1993 — CubaDiaphractus Purcell, 1907 — South Africa, NamibiaDrassodes Westring, 1851 — Africa, South America, Asia, Europe, North AmericaDrassodex Murphy, 2007 — Spain, France, SwitzerlandDrassyllus Chamberlin, 1922 — North America, Asia, EuropeEchemella Strand, 1906 — Congo, EthiopiaEchemographis Caporiacco, 1955 — VenezuelaEchemoides Mello-Leitão, 1938 — South AmericaEchemus Simon, 1878 — Sweden, Asia, Australia, Africa, BrazilEilica Keyserling, 1891 — Australia, South America, United States, Central America, Caribbean, Africa, IndiaEncoptarthria Main, 1954 — AustraliaEpicharitus Rainbow, 1916 — AustraliaFedotovia Charitonov, 1946 — Mongolia, Iran, AfghanistanGaviphosa Sankaran, 2021 — IndiaGertschosa Platnick & Shadab, 1981 — North America, Panama, JamaicaGnaphosa Latreille, 1804 — Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, Guatemala, CubaHaplodrassus Chamberlin, 1922 — Europe, Asia, North America, AfricaHerpyllus Hentz, 1832 — Argentina, North America, AsiaHeser Tuneva, 2004 — Asia, Spain, Africa, North AmericaHitobia Kamura, 1992 — AsiaHomoeothele Simon, 1908 — AustraliaHotwheels Liu & Zhang, 2024 — ChinaHongkongia Song & Zhu, 1998 — Indonesia, China, Hong KongHypodrassodes Dalmas, 1919 — New Zealand, AustraliaIbala Fitzpatrick, 2009 — AfricaIntruda Forster, 1979 — Australia, New ZealandIranotricha Zamani & Marusik, 2018 — IranKaitawa Forster, 1979 — New ZealandKikongo Rodrigues & Rheims, 2020 — D.R. Congo, KenyaKishidaia Yaginuma, 1960 — Asia, ItalyKituba Rodrigues & Rheims, 2020 — D.R. CongoLadissa Simon, 1907 — Sierra Leone, India, BeninLaronius Platnick & Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 — Thailand, IndonesiaLasophorus Chatzaki, 2018 — GreeceLatica da Silva, Guerrero, Bidegaray-Batista & Simó, 2020 — Uruguay, ArgentinaLatonigena Simon, 1893 — South AmericaLeptodrassex Murphy, 2007 — Africa, Europe, AsiaLeptodrassus Simon, 1878 — Europe, Asia, Africa, MexicoLeptopilos Levy, 2009 — Greece, Asia, LibyaLitopyllus Chamberlin, 1922 — United States, Cuba, MexicoMacarophaeus Wunderlich, 2011 — Canary Is., MadeiraMarinarozelotes Ponomarev, 2020 — Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South AmericaMarjanus Chatzaki, 2018 Matua Forster, 1979 — New ZealandMegamyrmaekion Reuss, 1834 — Africa, Asia, AustraliaMicaria Westring, 1851 — Asia, North America, Africa, Europe, AustraliaMicrodrassus Dalmas, 1919 — SeychellesMicrosa Platnick & Shadab, 1977 — CubaMicythus Thorell, 1897 — Thailand, Myanmar, IndonesiaMinosia Dalmas, 1921 — Africa, Asia, EuropeMinosiella Dalmas, 1921 — Asia, AfricaMolycria Simon, 1887 — AustraliaMontebello Hogg, 1914 — AustraliaMyandra Simon, 1887 — AustraliaNauhea Forster, 1979 — New ZealandNeodrassex Ott, 2012 — Brazil, ArgentinaNodocion Chamberlin, 1922 — North America, IndiaNomindra Platnick & Baehr, 2006 — AustraliaNomisia Dalmas, 1921 — Asia, Africa, EuropeNotiodrassus Bryant, 1935 — New ZealandOdontodrassus Jézéquel, 1965 — Africa, Asia, JamaicaOrodrassus Chamberlin, 1922 — United States, CanadaParabonna Mello-Leitão, 1947 — BrazilParasyrisca Schenkel, 1963 — Europe, Asia, North AmericaPhaeocedus Simon, 1893 — Asia, EuropePoecilochroa Westring, 1874 — Asia, Africa, South America, EuropePseudodrassus Caporiacco, 1935 — China, Libya, TurkeyPterotricha Kulczyński, 1903 — Africa, Asia, EuropePterotrichina Dalmas, 1921 — AlgeriaRastellus Platnick & Griffin, 1990 Sanitubius Kamura, 2001 — China, Korea, JapanScopoides Platnick, 1989 — North America, AsiaScotocesonia Caporiacco, 1947 — GuyanaScotognapha Dalmas, 1920 — Canary IslandsScotophaeus Simon, 1893 — Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, New ZealandSergiolus Simon, 1892 — North America, Caribbean, AsiaSernokorba Kamura, 1992 — Asia, EuropeSetaphis Simon, 1893 — Spain, Africa, AsiaShaitan Kovblyuk, Kastrygina & Marusik, 2013 Shiragaia Paik, 1992 — KoreaSidydrassus Esyunin & Tuneva, 2002 — AsiaSmionia Dalmas, 1920 — South AfricaSolitudes Lin & Li, 2020 — ChinaSosticus Chamberlin, 1922 — North America, AsiaSymphanodes Rainbow, 1916 — AustraliaSynaphosus Platnick & Shadab, 1980 — Asia, Africa, North America, GreeceTalanites Simon, 1893 — Asia, North America, UkraineTalanitoides Levy, 2009 — IsraelTitus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1901 — ZimbabweTrachyzelotes Lohmander, 1944 — Europe, Asia, North America, Africa, South America, SamoaTrephopoda Tucker, 1923 — South Africa, NamibiaTrichothyse Tucker, 1923 — South Africa, NamibiaTurkozelotes Kovblyuk & Seyyar, 2009 — Greece, AsiaUrozelotes Mello-Leitão, 1938 — Zambia, Europe, AsiaVerita Ramírez & Grismado, 2016 — ArgentinaWesmaldra Platnick & Baehr, 2006 — AustraliaWydundra Platnick & Baehr, 2006 — Australia, MalaysiaXerophaeus Purcell, 1907 — Africa, YemenXizangiana Song, Zhu & Zhang, 2004 — ChinaYoruba Rodrigues & Rheims, 2020 — Nigeria, Ivory CoastZagrotes Zamani, Chatzaki, Esyunin & Marusik, 2021 — IranZelanda Özdikmen, 2009 — New ZealandZelominor Snazell & Murphy, 1997 — Portugal, Spain, AlgeriaZelotes Gistel, 1848 — Asia, North America, Europe, Africa, South America, Australia, CaribbeanZelotibia Russell-Smith & Murphy, 2005 — AfricaZelowan Murphy & Russell-Smith, 2010 — Congo, Burundi, NamibiaZimiromus Banks, 1914 — Central America, South America, Caribbean, Mexico
Gallery
See also
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) [permanent dead link Abstract
External links
