Laterigrade

Guides

  • Philodromus oneida

    Oneida Running Crab Spider

    Philodromus oneida is a species of running crab spider in the family Philodromidae, first described by Levi in 1951. It is distributed across the United States and Canada, with records from Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba in Canada. As a member of the genus Philodromus, it shares the characteristic laterigrade leg orientation that allows sideways movement, typical of running crab spiders.

  • Selenops

    Flatties, Crescent-eyed Spiders, Wall Crab Spiders

    Selenops is a genus of spiders in the family Selenopidae, commonly known as "flatties" due to their extremely flattened bodies. The genus comprises approximately 132 species distributed across arid and semi-arid regions worldwide, including the southwestern United States, Florida, the Caribbean, and tropical regions of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. These spiders are notable for being the first documented arachnids capable of controlled gliding when falling, using their flattened bodies and laterigrade legs to steer toward tree trunks rather than falling to the ground. They exhibit some of the fastest turning movements recorded in terrestrial legged animals when attacking prey from behind.