Prodidomus

Distinguished from other ground spiders by the combination of extremely long anterior lateral spinnerets (10–20% of abdominal length) and the unique eye pattern: posterior lateral eyes are greatly enlarged and canoe-shaped while posterior median eyes remain small. The contiguous arrangement of four eyes on each side forming a triangle, with posterior lateral eyes as the largest, provides a key diagnostic feature. The low, curved clypeus and widely divergent chelicerae are additional identifying characteristics.

Small spiders with total length of males 1.9–4.3 mm and females 1.8–5.0 mm. Carapace broadly oval, frontally straight, weakly covered with grey setae or bare; longitudinal fovea absent or weak. Abdomen pale, with or without scattered, short, recumbent, grey setae. Anterior lateral spinnerets 10–20% of abdominal length, contiguous or slightly separated, with long piriform gland spigots. Legs laterigrade with leg formula 4123 and sparse setae with few weak spines.

Africa, Europe, Oceania, Asia, South America, the United States, the Greater Antilles, and Saint Helena.

• Other Prodidomidae generaShare family-level traits of elongated spinnerets, but Prodidomus is distinguished by specific eye arrangement with canoe-shaped posterior lateral eyes and spinneret proportions
• Other ground spiders (Gnaphosidae)Superficially similar habitat and habitus, but lack the characteristic long anterior lateral spinnerets and distinctive eye pattern of Prodidomus

• spider
• arachnid
• ground spider
• long-spinneret

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life