Gnaphosa

Gnaphosa

Classification

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Gnaphosa: /nəˈfoʊsə/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Images

Common Spiders U.S. 003-5 Gnaphosa muscorum by James Henry Emerton (1847 – 1931). Used under a Public domain license.
Gnaphosa muscorum male by machaut2. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.
Gnaphosa muscorum female with egg sac by christine123. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.
Gnaphosa muscorum female detail by chloe_and_trevor. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.
Gnaphosa muscorum female by sibirbio. Used under a CC BY 4.0 license.
Gnaphosa sericata by Gergin Blagoev, Biodiversity Intitute of Ontario. Used under a CC BY 3.0 license.

Summary

Gnaphosa is a genus of ground spiders known for their distinctive serrated keels on the chelicerae. This genus includes 20 species specifically recognized in BugGuide, with a wider representation extending to a total of 148 species as of May 2019.

Physical Characteristics

Members of this genus have a serrated keel on the retromargin of each chelicera.

Habitat

Ground habitats

Distribution

Primarily in USA, Canada, and Mexico, with additional species across Holarctic regions.

Evolution

Gnaphosa was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804. The genus contains 148 species, indicating a diverse evolutionary history within the Gnaphosidae family.

Tags

  • gnaphosa
  • ground spider
  • araneae
  • chelicerata
  • gnaphosidae