Gnaphosidae
Guides
Talanites exlineae
Talanites exlineae is a ground spider in the family Gnaphosidae, first described by Platnick & Shadab in 1976. The species is known from the United States. As a member of Gnaphosidae, it belongs to a diverse family of nocturnal wandering hunters. Published information on its biology and ecology remains limited.
Urozelotes
Urozelotes is a genus of ground spiders in the family Gnaphosidae, first described by Mello-Leitão in 1938. The genus comprises six species as of 2025. These small spiders are characterized by their oval carapace with distinctive setation and uniform pale orange coloration.
Zelotes
ground spider
Zelotes is a large genus of ground spiders in the family Gnaphosidae, with approximately 400 described species distributed worldwide. These small to medium-sized spiders (5-10 mm) are typically dark reddish brown to nearly black in color. They are characterized by distinctive eye arrangements and frequently display a pale patch on the inner surface of the first femur. The genus was first described by J. Gistel in 1848 and represents one of the most species-rich genera within the ground spider family.
Zelotes duplex
ground spider
Zelotes duplex is a species of ground spider in the family Gnaphosidae, first described by Chamberlin in 1922. It is found in the United States and Canada. As a member of Zelotes, it belongs to a large genus of active hunting spiders commonly known as ground spiders.
Zelotes funestus
Zelotes funestus is a species of ground spider in the family Gnaphosidae, found in the United States. As a member of the genus Zelotes, it belongs to a diverse group of nocturnal hunting spiders commonly known as ground spiders. The species was first described by Keyserling in 1887.
Zelotes pseustes
Zelotes pseustes is a species of ground spider in the family Gnaphosidae, first described by Chamberlin in 1922. It belongs to a large genus of active hunters that do not build webs to capture prey. The species is distributed across the United States and Mexico. Like other Zelotes species, it is a nocturnal predator that pursues prey on the ground or on low vegetation.
Zelotes puritanus
Zelotes puritanus is a species of ground spider in the family Gnaphosidae. It has a broad geographic distribution spanning North America, Europe, Turkey, and a continuous range from Russia to Kazakhstan. As a member of the genus Zelotes, it belongs to a diverse group of active hunting spiders commonly known as ground spiders.
Zelotes subterraneus
Ground spider
Zelotes subterraneus is a ground spider in the family Gnaphosidae and the type species of the genus Zelotes. It has a Palearctic distribution across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The species is notoriously difficult to identify, particularly females, due to striking similarity with congeners Zelotes apricorum and Zelotes latreillei. Males can be distinguished by examination of embolus structure on the pedipalps. Body length ranges from 3.8-7.8 mm in males and 5.8-9.2 mm in females. It is an active nocturnal hunter that does not build webs for prey capture.