Wandering spider
Family of spiders
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wandering spiders (Ctenidae) are a family of spiders that includes the Brazilian wandering spiders. These spiders have a distinctive longitudinal groove on the top-rear of their oval carapace similar to those of the Amaurobiidae.[1]
| Wandering spiders Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| |
| Phoneutria nigriventer | |
 | |
| Male Ctenus caligineus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Ctenidae Keyserling, 1877 |
| Diversity | |
| 49 genera, 533 species | |
 | |
| blue: reported countries (WSC) green: observation hotspots (iNaturalist) | |
They are highly defensive[2] and venomous nocturnal hunters. Wandering spiders are known to hunt large prey, for example hylid species Dendropsophus branneri.[3] Despite their notoriety for being dangerous, only a few members of Phoneutria have venom known to be hazardous to humans, but the venoms of this family are poorly known,[4] so all larger ctenids should be treated with caution.
Genera
As of September 2025[update], the World Spider Catalog accepted the following genera:[5]
- Acantheis Thorell, 1891 – Asia
- Acanthoctenus Keyserling, 1877 – South America, Central America, Jamaica, Mexico
- Africactenus Hyatt, 1954 – Africa, India
- Afroneutria Polotow & Jocqué, 2015 – Africa
- Amauropelma Raven, Stumkat & Gray, 2001 – Asia, Australia
- Amicactenus Henrard & Jocqué, 2017 – Africa
- Anahita Karsch, 1879 – Africa, Asia, United States
- Apolania Simon, 1898 – Seychelles
- Arctenus Polotow & Jocqué, 2014 – Kenya
- Asthenoctenus Simon, 1897 – South America
- Bengalla Gray & Thompson, 2001 – Australia
- Bowie Jäger, 2022
- Bulboctenus Pereira, Labarque & Polotow, 2020 – Brazil
- Califorctenus Jiménez, Berrian, Polotow & Palacios-Cardiel, 2017
- Caloctenus Keyserling, 1877 – Ethiopia, South America
- Celaetycheus Simon, 1897 – Brazil
- Centroctenus Mello-Leitão, 1929, including Parabatinga Polotow & Brescovit, 2009 – South America
- Chococtenus Dupérré, 2015 – Ecuador, Colombia
- Ciba Bloom, Binford, Esposito, Alayón, Peterson, Nishida, Loubet-Senear & Agnarsson, 2014 – Cuba, Dominican Republic
- Ctenus Walckenaer, 1805 – Africa, South America, Oceania, Central America, Asia, North America, Caribbean
- Diallomus Simon, 1897 – Sri Lanka
- Eldivo Hazzi & Hormiga, 2024
- Enoploctenus Simon, 1897 – South America, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Gephyroctenus Mello-Leitão, 1936 – Brazil, Peru
- Guasuctenus Polotow & Brescovit, 2019
- Isoctenus Bertkau, 1880 – Brazil, Argentina
- Janusia Gray, 1973 – Australia
- Kiekie Polotow & Brescovit, 2018 – Colombia, Central America, Mexico
- Leptoctenus L. Koch, 1878 – Australia, North America, Panama
- Macroctenus Henrard & Jocqué, 2017 – Guinea
- Montescueia Carcavallo & Martínez, 1961 – Argentina
- Nimbanahita Henrard & Jocqué, 2017 – Guinea
- Nothroctenus Badcock, 1932 – Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay
- Ohvida Polotow & Brescovit, 2009 – Cuba
- Perictenus Henrard & Jocqué, 2017 – Guinea
- Petaloctenus Jocqué & Steyn, 1997 – Africa
- Phoneutria Perty, 1833 – South America
- Phymatoctenus Simon, 1897 – Brazil, Guyana, Costa Rica
- Piloctenus Henrard & Jocqué, 2017 – Guinea, Togo, Ivory Coast
- Sinoctenus Marusik, Zhang & Omelko, 2012
- Spinoctenus Hazzi, Polotow, Brescovit, González-Obando & Simó, 2018
- Thoriosa Simon, 1910 – São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea
- Toca Polotow & Brescovit, 2009 – Brazil
- Trogloctenus Lessert, 1935 – Congo
- Trujillina Bryant, 1948 – Caribbean
- Tuticanus Simon, 1897 – Ecuador, Peru
- Viracucha Lehtinen, 1967 – South America
- Wiedenmeyeria Schenkel, 1953 – Venezuela
Formerly placed in this family:
- Mahafalytenus Silva-Dávila, 2007; now in Viridasiidae
