Hunting-spider
Guides
Alopecosa pictilis
Painted Wolf Spider
Alopecosa pictilis is a wolf spider species in the family Lycosidae, first described by Emerton in 1885. It is one of approximately 150 species in the genus Alopecosa, a group of ground-dwelling hunting spiders distributed across the Northern Hemisphere. The species exhibits the typical wolf spider characteristics of active hunting behavior and maternal care of egg sacs. Records indicate it has been observed in at least 29 documented occurrences.
Camptocosa
Camptocosa is a genus of wolf spiders (family Lycosidae) described in 2005. The genus currently contains two species. Members of this genus are ground-dwelling hunting spiders.
Clubiona johnsoni
Johnson's Sac Spider
Clubiona johnsoni is a species of sac spider in the family Clubionidae, described by Gertsch in 1941. It is found in the United States and Canada, with records from Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario in Canada. Like other members of the genus Clubiona, it is a nocturnal hunting spider that does not build webs to capture prey. The species is distinguished from similar genera by possessing a distinct groove in the center of its carapace and a tuft of curved setae on the front edge of the abdomen.
Clubiona maritima
Clubiona maritima is a sac spider species in the family Clubionidae. It occurs across North America from Canada through the United States and into the Caribbean region. As a member of the sac spider group, it constructs silken retreats rather than prey-capture webs and hunts actively. The species was described by Ludwig Carl Christian Koch in 1867.
Clubiona norvegica
Clubiona norvegica is a sac spider in the family Clubionidae, first described by Embrik Strand in 1900. The species has a transcontinental distribution spanning North America, Europe, and European Russia. Like other members of its genus, it constructs silken retreats rather than prey-capture webs and hunts actively for small arthropods.
Clubiona obesa
Sac spider
Clubiona obesa is a species of sac spider in the family Clubionidae. It occurs in the United States and Canada. As a member of this family, it is a prowling hunter that does not construct webs to capture prey. The species is one of several documented hosts of the spider wasp Priocnemis minorata.
Hibana gracilis
garden ghost spider, ghost spider
Hibana gracilis, commonly known as the garden ghost spider, is a small nocturnal hunting spider in the family Anyphaenidae. Adults reach a maximum body length of about 8 millimeters, with most individuals around 6 millimeters. The species is found throughout the United States and Canada, where it hunts insects on foliage and constructs silken retreats in curled leaves during daylight hours.
Hibana incursa
ghost spider
Hibana incursa is a species of ghost spider in the family Anyphaenidae, first described by Chamberlin in 1919. It is a small, pale-colored, nocturnal hunting spider distributed from the United States through Panama. Like other ghost spiders, it does not build webs to capture prey but instead actively prowls vegetation for insects.
Hogna ammophila
Hogna ammophila is a species of wolf spider in the family Lycosidae. It is a member of the genus Hogna, which includes large, ground-dwelling hunting spiders. The specific epithet "ammophila" (Greek for "sand-loving") suggests an association with sandy habitats, though detailed natural history information for this particular species is limited in available sources.
Lycosidae
Wolf Spiders
Wolf spiders (family Lycosidae) are robust, agile hunters characterized by excellent eyesight and solitary behavior. The family is distinguished by a unique eye arrangement featuring two large, forward-facing posterior median eyes that produce distinctive reflective eyeshine. Most species are ground-dwelling and do not construct webs for prey capture, instead actively hunting or ambushing prey. Females carry egg sacs attached to their spinnerets and subsequently transport spiderlings on their backs. The family exhibits considerable ecological diversity, with species occupying habitats ranging from sandy beaches to forest floors and agricultural fields.
Pisaurina dubia
Pisaurina dubia is a nursery web spider in the family Pisauridae, found across the southern two-thirds of the eastern United States. It is smaller than most pisaurids, measuring 12–15 mm in body length, and overwinters as a subadult before maturing in spring. The species is distinguished by a central tuft of hair projecting from between the eyes on the cephalothorax. Females construct nursery webs in vegetation to protect their egg sacs and guard spiderlings until they disperse.
Trachelas
Trachelas is a genus of hunting spiders in the family Trachelidae, established by Ludwig Carl Christian Koch in 1872. The genus contains approximately 99 species with worldwide distribution across tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions. Trachelas sensu stricto is restricted to the Old World, while New World species represent a distinct lineage only distantly related to the core group. The genus has undergone significant taxonomic revision, with species previously assigned to Corinnidae now placed in Trachelidae.
Trachelas tranquillus
Broad-faced Sac Spider, Ground Sac Spider
Trachelas tranquillus, commonly known as the broad-faced sac spider, is a hunting spider native to eastern North America. This species is frequently encountered indoors during autumn when males wander in search of mates. It does not construct webs for prey capture but instead hunts actively at night, often around porch lights where insects congregate. Once considered mildly venomous to humans, it is now classified as harmless, though rare bites can cause localized pain and swelling.
Trochosa abdita
Trochosa abdita is a wolf spider (family Lycosidae) described by Gertsch in 1934. It belongs to the genus Trochosa, a group of ground-dwelling hunting spiders characterized by their distinctive eye arrangement. The species is known only from the United States, though specific details about its ecology and behavior remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.
Wulfila
ghost spiders
Wulfila is a genus of ghost spiders (family Anyphaenidae) comprising at least 40 described species. These spiders are active hunters that do not construct webs for prey capture. They are commonly found in urban environments, where research has documented their association with scale-infested trees and shrubs. As members of the hunting spider guild, they contribute to biological control of pest insects in managed landscapes.
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 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.