Overview
The ground spiders (family Gnaphosidae) include nearly 2,000 described in over 100 genera worldwide. This makes the family the 7th largest known. New species are still being discovered. They are closely related to the Clubionidae1].
Common genera include Gnaphosa, Drassodes, Micaria, Cesonia, Zelotes and many others.
There are 14 species known to northwest Europe[1].
Description
Generally, ground spiders are characterized by having barrel-shaped anterior spinnerets that are one spinneret diameter apart. The main exception to this rule is found in the ant-mimicking genus Micaria. Another characteristic is an indentation in the endites (paired mouthparts anterior and lateral to the labium, or lip). All ground spiders lack a prey-capture web and generally run prey down on the surface. They hunt at night and spend the day in a silken retreat[1] The thick-walled egg sacs are guarded by the mother until the spiderlings hatch[1].
Human Interaction
At present, no ground spiders are known to be seriously venomous to humans. Very few people even notice these nearly worldwide reddish, brown, gray, striped or black spiders.
Photos
Taxonomy
The Family Gnaphosidae is a member of the Superfamily Gnaphosoidea. Here is the complete "parentage" of Gnaphosidae:
- Domain: Eukaryota
Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia
Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829
- Subphylum: Arachnomorpha
Heider, 1913
- Infraphylum: Cheliceriformes
- Superclass: Chelicerata
- Class: Arachnida
Cuvier, 1812 - Arachnids
- Subclass: Micrura
- Order: Araneae
Clerck, 1757 - Spiders
- Suborder: Opisthothelae
- Modern Spiders
- Infraorder: Araneomorphae
- Superfamily: Gnaphosoidea
- Family: Gnaphosidae
- Superfamily: Gnaphosoidea
- Infraorder: Araneomorphae
- Suborder: Opisthothelae
- Modern Spiders
- Order: Araneae
Clerck, 1757 - Spiders
- Subclass: Micrura
- Class: Arachnida
Cuvier, 1812 - Arachnids
- Superclass: Chelicerata
- Infraphylum: Cheliceriformes
- Subphylum: Arachnomorpha
Heider, 1913
- Phylum: Arthropoda
Latreille, 1829
- Superphylum: Panarthropoda
Cuvier
- Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa
Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
- Branch: Protostomia
Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Kingdom: Animalia
Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
The Family Gnaphosidae is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Subfamily (1): Catocalinae
- Genus (118): Allodrassus · Allozelotes · Amazoromus · Amusia · Aneplasa · Anzacia · Aphantaulax · Apodrassodes · Apodrassus · Apopyllus · Aracus · Asemesthes · Asiabadus · Australoechemus · Battalus · Benoitodes · Berinda · Berlandina · Cabanadrassus · Callilepis · Camillina · Ceryerda · Cesonia · Cessonia · Cladothela · Coillina · Coreodrassus · Cryptodrassus · Cubanopyllus · Diaphractus · Drassodes · Drassus · Drassyllus · Drassylus · Echemella · Echemographis · Echemoides · Echemus · Eilica · Epicharitus · Epikurtomma · Fedotovia · Gertschosa · Gnaphosa · Haplodrassus · Hemicloea · Herpyllus · Hitobia · Homoeothele · Hongkongia · Hypodrassodes · Intruda · Kaitawa · Kirmaka · Kishidaia · Ladissa · Laronius · Latonigena · Leptodrassus · Litopyllus · Maniana · Matua · Megamyrmaecion · Megamyrmaekion · Micaria · Microdrassus · Microsa · Micythus · Minosia · Minosiella · Moreno · Nauhea · Nodocion · Nomisia · Notiodrassus · Odontodrassus · Orodrassus · Parabonna · Parasyrisca · Phaeocedus · Poecilochroa · Prosthesima · Pseudodrassus · Pterochroa · Pterotricha · Pterotrichina · Sanitubius · Scopoides · Scotocesonia · Scotognapha · Scotophaeoides · Scotophaeus · Sergiolus · Sernokorba · Setaphis · Shiragaia · Sidydrassus · Sillemia · Siruasus · Smionia · Sosticus · Symphanodes · Synaphosus · Taieria · Talanites · Titus · Trachyzelotes · Trephopoda · Trichothyse · Tuvadrassus · Upognampa · Urozelotes · Vectius · Xenoplectus · Xerophaeus · Zelominor · Zelotes · Zimiromus
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 2,292 species and subspecies in the Family Gnaphosidae.
Genera
Allodrassus
Allozelotes
Amazoromus
Amusia
Amusia refers to a number of disorders which are indicated by the inability to recognize musical tones or or to reproduce them. Amusia can be congenital (present at birth) or be acquired sometime later in life (as from brain damage). The term "amusia" is composed of a- + -musia which means the lack of music. [more]
Aneplasa
Anzacia
Aphantaulax
Apodrassodes
Apodrassus
Apopyllus
Aracus
Asemesthes
Asiabadus
Australoechemus
Battalus
Benoitodes
Berinda
Berlandina
Cabanadrassus
Callilepis
A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]
Camillina
Ceryerda
Cesonia
Cesonia is a genus of in the Gnaphosidae family. [more]
Cessonia
Cladothela
Coillina
Coreodrassus
Cryptodrassus
Cubanopyllus
Diaphractus
Drassodes
Drassodes is a genus in the family Gnaphosidae. They can reach a length of about 20mm; the brownish spiders live under rocks or bark in mostly dry habitats. [more]
Drassus
Drassyllus
Drassylus
Echemella
Echemographis
Echemoides
Echemus
In , Echemus was the king of Arcadia. He succeeded Lycurgus, and married Timandra, daughter of Leda and Tyndareus of Sparta. [more]
Eilica
Epicharitus
Epikurtomma
Fedotovia
Gertschosa
Gnaphosa
Haplodrassus
Hemicloea
Herpyllus
Hitobia
Homoeothele
Hongkongia
Hypodrassodes
Intruda
Kaitawa
Kirmaka
Kishidaia
Ladissa
Laronius
Latonigena
Leptodrassus
Litopyllus
Maniana
Matua
Megamyrmaecion
Megamyrmaekion
Micaria
Microdrassus
Microsa
Micythus
Minosia
Minosiella
Moreno
Moreno is , Portuguese and Filipino for a tanned or dark or brown-skinned person. In origin the term was used to refer to a person with brown or black hair color, regardless of skin or eye color (synonym for Brunette), nowadays both meanings co-exist. It is also a Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian surname and an Italian given name. [more]
Nauhea
Nodocion
Nomisia
Notiodrassus
Odontodrassus
Orodrassus
Parabonna
Parasyrisca
Phaeocedus
Poecilochroa
Prosthesima
Pseudodrassus
Pterochroa
Pterotricha
Pterotrichina
Sanitubius
Scopoides
Scotocesonia
Scotognapha
Scotophaeoides
Scotophaeus
Sergiolus
Sernokorba
Setaphis
Shiragaia
Sidydrassus
Sillemia
Siruasus
Smionia
Sosticus
Symphanodes
Synaphosus
Taieria
Talanites
Titus
Titus Flavius Vespasianus, commonly known as Titus (, 39 – September 13, 81), was a Roman Emperor who briefly reigned from 79 until his death in 81. Titus was the second emperor of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Roman Empire between 69 and 96, encompassing the reigns of Titus's father Vespasian (69–79), Titus himself (79–81) and his younger brother Domitian (81–96). [more]
Trachyzelotes
Trephopoda
Trichothyse
Tuvadrassus
Upognampa
Urozelotes
Vectius
Xenoplectus
Xerophaeus
Zelominor
Zelotes
Zimiromus
At least 40 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Zimiromus.
More info about the Genus Zimiromus may be found here.
References
- Platnick, N.I. & Shadab, M.U. (1983): A revision of the American spiders of the genus Zelotes (Araneae, Gnaphosidae). Bulletin of the AMNH 174: 99-191. PDF (29Mb) - Abstract
- Ed Nieuwenhuys (2000): Spiders of NW-Europe Retrieved Jan 3, 2007. (with color pictures of some species)
- Platnick, Norman I. (2007): The world spider catalog, version 8.0. American Museum of Natural History.
Footnotes
Sources
- The text on this page is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It includes material from Wikipedia retrieved Friday, November 14, 2008.
- The distribution map on the Distribution tab comes from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and is used with permission.
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