Abba is a small Australian genus of orb-weaving spiders in the family Araneidae. It was established in 2023 as a monotypic genus for Abba transversa, a species formerly placed in Araneus. The genus is recognizable by a distinctive abdominal pattern and, in males, a group of long spines on the first tibia. Published records place it in Queensland and New South Wales, and the species is described as largely summer-mature.
Acanthoctenus is a genus of wandering spiders in the family Ctenidae. The genus was established by Eugen von Keyserling in 1877 and is classified among the araneomorph spiders. Its documented range extends from Central America and the Caribbean into northern, western, and central South America.
Acontius is an accepted genus of mygalomorph spiders in the wafer-lid trapdoor spider family Cyrtaucheniidae. Ferdinand Karsch established the genus in 1879, and Acontius hartmanni is its type species. The World Spider Catalog currently lists 12 accepted species. Catalogued records place the genus in Africa and Argentina, with most of the named species associated with African countries.
Actinopodidae is the spider family commonly called the mouse spiders. Its best-known members are stout, burrow-dwelling mygalomorphs in the genus Missulena. They are ambush predators that spend much of their lives in silk-lined burrows, usually emerging only to take prey or, in the case of mature males, to search for a mate.
Acusilas is a genus of orb-weaver spiders in the family Araneidae. Simon established the genus in 1895, and Acusilas coccineus is its type species. The cataloged species are distributed mainly from India through Southeast Asia to Sulawesi, while A. africanus is recorded in several African countries. Available descriptions emphasize the genus’s distinctive use of a rolled leaf in the center of a vertical orb-web.
funnel weavers
Acutipetala is a small genus of funnel-weaver spiders in the family Agelenidae. The genus was established by P. Dankittipakul and Z. S. Zhang in 2008 from material associated with northern Thailand. The World Spider Catalog lists two species: Acutipetala donglini and Acutipetala octoginta, with the latter serving as the type species. Published accounts associate the genus with evergreen forests and report adult body lengths from 6.7 to 8.8 millimetres.
Aebutina is a spider genus in the family Macrobunidae. The World Spider Catalog currently lists one species, Aebutina binotata, with records from Ecuador and Brazil. Simon established the genus in 1892, and the genus was moved to Macrobunidae in a 2025 reappraisal of the Dictynidae sensu lato. The available catalog evidence identifies the type species and range, but provides little published natural-history detail for the genus.
Cameroon Spiny-Backed Orb-Web Spider
Afracantha is an accepted genus of orb-weaver spiders in the family Araneidae. It is monotypic: the genus contains Afracantha camerunensis, first described as a subspecies in 1899 and later placed in this genus. The spider is recorded from several countries in sub-Saharan Africa and uses a vertical orb web.
African assassin spiders, pelican spiders
Afrarchaea is a genus of small to medium-sized spiders in the family Archaeidae. The genus is known by the common names African assassin spiders and pelican spiders, names that refer to its African range and distinctive head-and-jaw form. The genus is endemic to South Africa, where its members have been recorded in several forest and forest-edge environments. They are free-living hunters rather than web-dependent prey trappers, and the documented prey consists of other spiders.
Afrotrix is a genus of funnel-weaving spiders in the family Agelenidae. It was established in 2026 for species from arid western South Africa, including the previously named Afrotrix deserticola and nine species described in the same study. The genus is placed in the subfamily Ageleninae and tribe Textricini. Published distribution information shows a southern African range, with most listed species restricted to South Africa.
Agelena is a genus of funnel-web spiders in the family Agelenidae. Its members are known for flat, non-sticky sheet webs that lead into a funnel-shaped retreat. The genus is recorded across the Old World, from Africa to Japan, although individual species have narrower ranges. Agelena was established by Charles Athanase Walckenaer in 1805.
dwarf spiders
Allomengea is a genus of dwarf spiders in the family Linyphiidae, first described by Embrik Strand in 1912. The genus contains six species with a primarily Holarctic distribution, ranging from North America across Eurasia to East Asia. Species occur in diverse habitats including boreal and temperate regions, with some showing broad transcontinental ranges while others are restricted to specific regions such as the Korean Peninsula or China.
Allothele is a genus of African sheet-web spiders in the family Euagridae. The genus was established by R. W. E. Tucker in 1920, and five species were listed in a 2025 summary. Available descriptions place the genus in southern Africa, with records extending from South Africa to Malawi, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its members make sheet webs with funnel-shaped retreats in sheltered places, but their broader ecology is still poorly documented.
Alpaida is a genus of orb-weaving spiders in the family Araneidae. The genus was established by O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1889 and is represented in modern biodiversity records by numerous accepted species. Taxonomic papers document Alpaida species from several South American regions, including Peru and Brazil. Because the genus contains many species, details such as color, size, and habitat can vary and should not be assigned from the genus name alone.
Hackledmesh Weavers, Night Spiders, Laceweavers
Amaurobiidae is a family of three-clawed spiders found worldwide, containing approximately 286 species in 51 genera. Members are characterized by possessing either a cribellum (a silk-spinning plate) or being ecribellate, and are often difficult to distinguish from related families such as Agelenidae, Desidae, and Amphinectidae. The family's taxonomic boundaries and internal relationships have been historically contentious, with genera frequently reassigned between families based on morphological and molecular studies. Australian representatives are small to medium-sized entelegyne spiders with minimal sheet webs, while North American species include relatively large, powerful hunters.
Amphiledorus is a genus of spiders in the family Zodariidae, established by Raymond Jocqué and Rudy Bosmans in 2001. Current taxonomic databases and the World Spider Catalog list four accepted species: A. adonis, A. balnearius, A. histrionicus, and A. ungoliantae. The named species include records from Algeria and Portugal, while the available genus records do not by themselves provide a complete range map. Species-level recognition depends on the characters used in formal spider taxonomy, so a genus name alone is not enough for a confident field identification.
Anachemmis is a genus of North American false wolf spiders in the family Zoropsidae. First described by Ralph Vary Chamberlin in 1919, it was briefly synonymized with Titiotus before being reconfirmed as a distinct genus in 1999. The genus contains five species distributed in the southwestern United States and Mexico. All species were described or redescribed by Platnick & Ubick in 2005.
Anahita is a genus of wandering spiders in the family Ctenidae, established by Karsch in 1879. The genus name derives from an Iranian goddess associated with waters and fertility. These spiders are part of the diverse tropical and subtropical spider fauna, with species distributed across parts of Asia and Africa. As ctenids, they possess characteristic eye arrangements and are active hunters rather than web-builders.
wishbone spiders
Aname is a genus of mygalomorph spiders in the family Anamidae. The genus is endemic to Australia and has been recorded in tropical, semi-arid, and arid bioregions from coast to coast. Aname spiders are commonly associated with open, silk-lined burrows; some have a secondary entrance that can function as an escape chute. The genus contains many described species, and recent research indicates that its diversity is still incompletely documented.
Anamidae is a family of Australian mygalomorph spiders, commonly described as open-holed trapdoor spiders. The family was raised from a subfamily-level grouping to family rank in modern phylogenetic work and is endemic to Australia.
giant fishing spiders
Ancylometes is a genus of large, semiaquatic spiders from Central and South America. Members are associated with freshwater margins and can move across the water surface as well as dive below it. Their hunting has been documented to include invertebrates and, in some species, small vertebrates. The genus has a changing taxonomic history, so older sources may place it in a different spider family.
Ancylometidae is a recently established spider family currently represented by the semiaquatic Neotropical genus Ancylometes. These large spiders live around freshwater and hunt at night, combining spider traits associated with ctenids and pisaurids with unusual abilities to move across and beneath the water surface.
Andoharano is a genus of small African crevice-weaver spiders in the family Filistatidae. The genus was established by Pekka T. Lehtinen in 1967 and is accepted in the GBIF taxonomic backbone. Twelve species are listed in the reference summary: all but Andoharano ansieae are endemic to Madagascar, while that species occurs in southern Africa. Available descriptions emphasize the genus's compact eyes, cribellum, setose body, and long, spiny legs.
Aneplasa is a genus of African ground spiders in the family Gnaphosidae. R.W.E. Tucker described it in 1923, and GBIF currently matches the name as an accepted genus. The genus is known from South Africa, East Africa, and Angola, with eight species listed in the consulted overview. Its taxonomic status remains noteworthy because an earlier treatment proposed that Aneplasa might be a junior synonym of Nomisia.
dwarf sheet spiders
Antistea is a genus of dwarf sheet spiders in the family Hahniidae, established by Eugène Simon in 1898. The genus contains only two species: A. brunnea (Palearctic) and A. elegans (Nearctic), together forming a Holarctic distribution pattern. These spiders are among the least commonly encountered hahniids due to their small size and cryptic habits.
running crab spiders
Apollophanes is a genus of running crab spiders (family Philodromidae) with a broad geographic distribution spanning Asia, North America, Central America, and South America. The genus was established by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1898 and contains species characterized by distinctive morphological features including a moderately low prosoma with yellow to orange-brown coloration and dark lateral spots, long slender speckled legs, and a conspicuous heart mark on the opisthosoma. The genus has been recorded from habitats ranging from temperate regions to tropical Atlantic rainforest.
Arabelia is a genus of spiders established in 2009 and currently containing two accepted species. Its documented range includes the eastern Mediterranean for Arabelia pheidoleicomes and China for Arabelia xizang. The genus is placed in the spider family Liocranidae by current taxonomic databases, although the World Spider Catalog notes that its family placement may need further evaluation.
Arachnura is a genus of orb-weaver spiders in the family Araneidae. Members are known for a long, tapering abdominal extension that gives the group names such as scorpion-tail spider and drag-tailed spider. The genus was described by Auguste Vinson in 1863, and its type species is Arachnura scorpionoides. Current catalogued records place species across parts of Africa, Asia, Australasia, and the Pacific.
Arangina is a small genus of cribellate araneomorph spiders in the family Dictynidae. Pekka T. Lehtinen established the genus in 1967, with Dictyna cornigera as its type species. The World Spider Catalog lists two species, Arangina cornigera and Arangina pluva, and records both from New Zealand. Their documented island records place one species on the South Island and the other on the North Island.
Archaeidae are tiny, specialized araneomorph spiders commonly called assassin spiders or pelican spiders. Their distinctive feature is a raised, neck-like cephalothorax carrying long, forward-projecting chelicerae. These spiders prey on other spiders, and their unusual body plan lets them strike prey while keeping the prey's fangs away from the hunter's body.
Arcuphantes is a genus of dwarf spiders (Linyphiidae: Micronetinae) comprising 57 species distributed across Asia and North America. The genus was established by Chamberlin and Ivie in 1943, with A. fragilis designated as the type species. Species diversity is concentrated in Japan and Korea, with additional representatives in China, Mongolia, and North America. The genus is characterized by distinctive genital morphology, particularly elaborate epigynal scapes and male palpal structures.
Argenna is a genus of cribellate araneomorph spiders in the family Argyronetidae. The World Spider Catalog recognizes six accepted species and eleven names in synonymy. The genus was described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1870 and was transferred from Dictynidae to Argyronetidae in 2025.
diving bell spider, water spider
Argyroneta is a spider genus represented by the diving bell spider, Argyroneta aquatica. This unusual spider spends nearly its entire life underwater, where it maintains a silk retreat filled with air. The genus is associated with freshwater habitats and is currently treated in the family Argyronetidae. Its best-known biology comes from the single living species, so species-level observations should not be generalized beyond that taxonomic scope.
Argyronetidae is a freshwater spider family best known for the diving-bell spider, Argyroneta aquatica. This species is remarkable because it spends nearly its entire life underwater while maintaining atmospheric air in a silk diving bell. Its brown cephalothorax and dark velvety
Arkyidae is a family of araneomorph spiders commonly called triangular spiders and allies. The family is accepted in current major taxonomic databases and contains the living genera Arkys and Demadiana. Its documented range is centered on Australia and nearby parts of the Australasian region, with Arkys also recorded from Indonesia, New Caledonia, and New Guinea. Family-level identification is useful for recognizing the group, but many details of color, web design, prey, and season vary among species.
Eastern Hemisphere ogre-faced spiders
Asianopis is a genus of net-casting spiders in the family Deinopidae. It was established in 2020 for species from Asia that had previously been placed in Deinopis, and its type species is Asianopis zhuanghaoyuni. The genus is recorded from China, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia in the founding taxonomic treatment. As with other deinopids, the capture method involves a small silk net, but observations and measurements published for particular species should not automatically be applied to every member of the genus.
Asmea is a genus of spiders in the family Stiphidiidae, established by Michael R. Gray and Herbert W. Smith in 2008. The World Spider Catalog lists four accepted species, all recorded from New Guinea. The genus is notable as a small, geographically focused branch of the sheetweb-spider family, but species-level identification requires specialist taxonomic evidence rather than a common name or web shape alone.
Asperthorax is a genus of Asian dwarf spiders in the family Linyphiidae. R. Oi described the genus in 1960. Current taxonomic sources recognize Asperthorax as an accepted genus in the order Araneae. The genus account lists three species, with records in the Russian Far East, Japan, and China.
Atracidae, commonly called Australian funnel-web spiders, are a family of mygalomorph spiders native to Australia. They are best known for stout bodies, powerful chelicerae, silk-lined burrows, and the funnel-shaped sheets and trip-lines built around burrow entrances by many species. The family includes Atrax, Hadronyche, and Illawarra. Some species have medically important venom, but the family is diverse and a bite should never be identified from appearance alone.
Atrax is a genus of Australian funnel-web spiders in the family Atracidae. The genus was described by O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1877, with the Sydney funnel-web spider as its type species. Members are robust, darkly coloured mygalomorph spiders that use silk-lined retreats and radiating signal lines near the entrance. The genus is associated with southeastern Australia, but details of appearance, range, and medically important venom differ among species.
Auhunga is a small genus of tangled nest spiders in Amaurobiidae. It currently contains one accepted species, Auhunga pectinata, described by Ray Forster and Cecil Wilton in 1973. The genus is endemic to New Zealand and the species is known from Canterbury. The recorded spider is very small, with pale yellow-brown front body and legs and a creamy abdomen.
Austrachelas is a genus of ground-dwelling spiders in the family Gallieniellidae. The genus is endemic to South Africa and includes ten species in current catalog summaries. It was revised in 2009, when its placement was transferred from the corinnid spiders to Gallieniellidae. Available descriptions emphasize external structure and geographic occurrence; a single species-level diet or life cycle has not been established for the genus as a whole.
Australoechemus is a genus of ground spiders in the family Gnaphosidae. It was established by Schmidt and Piepho in 1994. The genus is associated with the Cape Verde islands in taxonomic records, although older summaries described it more broadly as West African. The World Spider Catalog currently lists Australoechemus oecobiophilus as the type species and records several names that have been transferred to Megamyrmaekion.
assassin spiders, pelican spiders
Austrarchaea is a genus of living spiders in the family Archaeidae, the group commonly called assassin spiders or pelican spiders. Taxonomic databases place the genus in Araneae, the order of spiders, and record Australia as its range. Archaeidae are small spiders, and family-level accounts describe them as having an unusual neck-like separation between the body and elongated jaws. The genus should not be confused with Archaea, an extinct archaeid genus known from amber.
Austrochilidae is a small, distinctive spider family currently comprising two accepted genera, Austrochilus and Thaida, and nine accepted species. These spiders are associated with the temperate Andean forests of Chile and adjoining Argentina. Their combination of an ancient-looking respiratory system and specialized silk biology has made the family important in studies of early araneomorph evolution.
Austrophaea is a monotypic genus of corinnid sac spiders from South Africa. It contains one accepted species, Austrophaea zebra, first described by R. F. Lawrence in 1952. The species is endemic to South Africa and is known from the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Its published records include low-lying grassland, savanna and coastal forest environments.
Baiami is an accepted genus of spiders in the family Desidae. Published summaries describe it as an Australian genus associated with intertidal environments. The genus was established by Pekka T. Lehtinen in 1967, and Baiami volucripes is identified as its type species. The available sources list species from South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia, while current database records can differ in descendant counts.
Barahna is a genus of Australian spiders in the family Desidae. Valerie Todd Davies described the genus in 2003, and the World Spider Catalog lists eight species. Its recorded range includes Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria. The genus was originally associated with Stiphidiidae but is now placed in Desidae in the catalog.
Barusia is an accepted genus of small spiders in the family Leptonetidae. It belongs to the order Araneae and was named by Kratochvíl in 1978. The World Spider Catalog lists five accepted species: B. hofferi, B. insulana, B. korculana, B. laconica, and B. maheni. Available records associate the genus with the Balkans, including Croatia, Montenegro, and Greece.
Bijoaraneus is a genus of orb-weaver spiders in the family Araneidae. It was established in 2021 after morphological and five-gene phylogenetic evidence showed that a group formerly associated with Araneus represented a separate lineage. The World Spider Catalog lists five accepted species. Records place the genus in parts of Asia, Africa, and Australia.
