Selenops

Selenops is a spider genus that is found in many arid regions of the world, but some species may also be found in some cooler and even mountainous regions. Most of the 132 species (as of May. 2021) are hard to visually distinguish, and requires study of their finer anatomy.

Selenops Temporal range: Palaeogene–present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Selenops sp.
Female S. ansieae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Selenopidae
Genus:	Selenops Latreille, 1819
Diversity
132 species

S. australiensis is found on or under dry bark in Australia. The female reaches 9mm, the male 7mm. It looks superficially like a huntsman spider.

S. radiatus has proved to be an effective controlling agent of the potato tuber moth in South Africa.

Selenops is the first spider known to be able to steer and glide when falling, in order to land in or on a tree, instead of falling to the ground.^[1][2]

Selenops spiders are able to attack prey approaching from all directions. When attacking prey from behind, they show some of the fastest turning movements documented in terrestrial legged animals.^[3]

Lifestyle

Selenops are free-living, agile spiders found on rocks, walls and tree trunks. With their very flattened bodies they are able to move into narrow crevices. Different species frequently occur sympatrically but occupy different microhabitats. The egg sac is round, flat, and papery and is attached to stones or bark.^[4]

Description

See also: Glossary of spider terms

Selenops differ from other selenopid genera by the arrangement of the eyes. The anterior median eyes, posterior median eyes and anterior lateral eyes align or are slightly recurved. Leg II is longer than leg IV and tibiae I and II have 2-2-2 ventral spines while metatarsi I-II have 2-2 spines.^[4]

These are small to large spiders measuring 6-23 mm in total length. The carapace is flattened and subcircular, usually brown to reddish brown with lateral dark bands or spots. The chelicerae are brown to orange, normally with black or grey bands. Labium and sternum are usually paler in colour. The abdomen is flattened, round to oval, clothed in dense setae, normally grey or yellowish with brown or black dorsal defined patterns. The venter is yellowish without markings.^[4]

Legs have two claws with claw tufts and scopulae. They are laterigrade spiders with anterior legs provided with strong, four to seven pairs of ventral spines on tibiae and metatarsi I and II. Tarsal claws are smooth and leg formulae are normally 4321.^[4]

Name

The geus is named after the moon goddess Selene, and Greek -ops "eye", because of the moon-like form of the eyes.

Taxonomy

The genus was studied by Lawrence (1940), Benoit (1968) and Corronca (2002, 2005).^[4]

Species

• 
  S. baweka
• 
  S. formosanus
• 
  S. maranhensis
• 
  S. mexicanus

As of September 2025^[update], this genus includes 132 species.^[5]

These species have articles on Wikipedia:

• Selenops ansieae Corronca, 2002 – South Africa
• Selenops brachycephalus Lawrence, 1940 – Zimbabwe, South Africa
• Selenops dilon Corronca, 2002 – South Africa
• Selenops feron Corronca, 2002 – Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa
• Selenops ilcuria Corronca, 2002 – Cameroon, South Africa
• Selenops insularis Keyserling, 1881 – United States, Greater Antilles
• Selenops intricatus Simon, 1910 – Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, DR Congo, South Africa
• Selenops lesnei Lessert, 1936 – Eritrea, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa
• Selenops lobatse Corronca, 2001 – South Africa
• Selenops ovambicus Lawrence, 1940 – Senegal, Cameroon, Sudan, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa
• Selenops radiatus Latreille, 1819 – Mediterranean, Africa, Middle East, India, Myanmar, China (type species)
• Selenops rosario Alayón, 2005 – Cuba
• Selenops submaculosus Bryant, 1940 – United States, Bahamas, Cuba, Cayman Islands
• Selenops tenebrosus Lawrence, 1940 – Zimbabwe, South Africa
• Selenops tonteldoos Corronca, 2005 – South Africa
• Selenops zuluanus Lawrence, 1940 – Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa

Complete species list as of September 2025[update]

Selenops ab Logunov & Jäger, 2015 – China, Vietnam Selenops abyssus Muma, 1953 – Mexico Selenops actophilus Chamberlin, 1924 – United States, Mexico Selenops aequalis Franganillo, 1935 – Cuba Selenops aissus Walckenaer, 1837 – United States, Bahamas, Cuba Selenops alemani Muma, 1953 – Cuba Selenops amona Crews, 2011 – Puerto Rico Selenops anacaona Crews, 2018 – Hispaniola (Dominican Rep.) Selenops angelae Corronca, 1998 – Ecuador Selenops angolaensis Corronca, 2002 – Angola Selenops annulatus Simon, 1876 – Cameroon, Tanzania Selenops ansieae Corronca, 2002 – South Africa Selenops arikok Crews, 2011 – Aruba Selenops aztecus Valdez-Mondragón, 2010 – Mexico Selenops bani Alayón, 1992 – Hispaniola Selenops banksi Muma, 1953 – Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana, Brazil Selenops bastet Zamani & Crews, 2019 – Egypt Selenops baweka Crews, 2011 – Turks and Caicos Islands Selenops bifurcatus Banks, 1909 – Guatemala, Costa Rica Selenops bocacanadensis Crews, 2011 – Hispaniola (Dominican Rep.) Selenops brachycephalus Lawrence, 1940 – Zimbabwe, South Africa Selenops bullerengue Crews, Torres & Galvis, 2021 – Colombia Selenops bursarius Karsch, 1879 – Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan Selenops buscki Muma, 1953 – Panama Selenops cabagan Alayón, 2005 – Cuba Selenops camerun Corronca, 2001 – Cameroon Selenops canasta Alayón, 2005 – Cuba Selenops candidus Muma, 1953 – Jamaica Selenops caney Alayón, 2005 – Cuba Selenops caonabo Crews, 2018 – Hispaniola (Dominican Rep.) Selenops chamela Crews, 2011 – Mexico Selenops cocheleti Simon, 1880 – Panama, Argentina Selenops comorensis Schmidt & Krause, 1994 – Comoros Selenops crewsae Lin & Li, 2021 – China Selenops cristis Corronca, 2002 – Ghana, Namibia Selenops curazao Alayón, 2001 – Curaçao, Bonaire Selenops curruganja Crews & Galvis, 2021 – Colombia Selenops debilis Banks, 1898 – United States, Mexico Selenops denia Crews, 2011 – Hispaniola Selenops dilamen Corronca, 2002 – DR Congo Selenops dilon Corronca, 2002 – South Africa Selenops duan Crews, 2011 – Hispaniola Selenops ducke Corronca, 1996 – Brazil Selenops dufouri Vinson, 1863 – Madagascar, Réunion Selenops ecuadorensis Berland, 1913 – Ecuador Selenops ef Jäger, 2019 – Cambodia Selenops enriquillo Crews, 2011 – Jamaica, Hispaniola Selenops feron Corronca, 2002 – Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa Selenops florenciae Corronca, 2002 – Angola Selenops formosus Bryant, 1940 – Cuba Selenops geraldinae Corronca, 1996 – Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, Brazil Selenops gracilis Muma, 1953 – Mexico Selenops guerrero Crews, 2011 – Hispaniola Selenops hebraicus Mello-Leitão, 1945 – Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina Selenops huetocatl Crews, 2011 – Mexico Selenops iberia Alayón, 2005 – Cuba Selenops ilcuria Corronca, 2002 – Cameroon, South Africa Selenops imias Alayón, 2005 – Cuba Selenops insularis Keyserling, 1881 – United States, Greater Antilles Selenops intricatus Simon, 1910 – Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, DR Congo, South Africa Selenops isopodus Mello-Leitão, 1941 – Colombia, Venezuela Selenops ivohibe Corronca, 2005 – Madagascar Selenops ixchel Crews, 2011 – Mexico Selenops jocquei Corronca, 2005 – Ivory Coast Selenops juxtlahuaca Valdez, 2007 – Mexico Selenops kalinago Crews, 2011 – Lesser Antilles Selenops krugeri Lawrence, 1940 – Nigeria, Angola, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa Selenops lavillai Corronca, 1996 – Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil Selenops lepidus Muma, 1953 – Mexico Selenops lesnei Lessert, 1936 – Eritrea, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa Selenops levii Corronca, 1997 – Brazil Selenops lindborgi Petrunkevitch, 1926 – Caribbean Selenops littoricola Strand, 1913 – Central Africa Selenops lobatse Corronca, 2001 – South Africa Selenops lucibel Corronca, 2002 – Southern Africa Selenops lumbo Corronca, 2001 – East Africa Selenops makimaki Crews, 2011 – Mexico Selenops malinalxochitl Crews, 2011 – Mexico Selenops manzanoae Corronca, 1997 – Brazil Selenops maranhensis Mello-Leitão, 1918 – Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina Selenops marcanoi Alayón, 1992 – Hispaniola Selenops marginalis F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 – Mexico Selenops melanurus Mello-Leitão, 1923 – Brazil Selenops mexicanus Keyserling, 1880 – United States, Colombia, Galapagos Selenops micropalpus Muma, 1953 – Lesser Antilles (Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) Selenops minutus F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 – Mexico, Guatemala Selenops morosus Banks, 1898 – Mexico Selenops morro Crews, 2011 – Hispaniola (Dominican Rep.) Selenops muehlmannorum Jäger & Praxaysombath, 2011 – Laos Selenops nesophilus Chamberlin, 1924 – United States, Mexico Selenops nigromaculatus Keyserling, 1880 – Mexico Selenops occultus Mello-Leitão, 1918 – Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina Selenops oculatus Pocock, 1898 – Yemen Selenops ollarius Zhu, Sha & Chen, 1990 – China Selenops onka Corronca, 2005 – Angola, Namibia Selenops oricuajo Crews, 2011 – Costa Rica Selenops ovambicus Lawrence, 1940 – Senegal, Cameroon, Sudan, Namibia, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa Selenops oviedo Crews, 2011 – Hispaniola Selenops para Corronca, 1996 – Brazil Selenops pensilis Muma, 1953 – Hispaniola (Haiti, Dominican Rep.) Selenops peraltae Corronca, 1997 – Bolivia Selenops petenajtoy Crews, 2011 – Guatemala Selenops petrunkevitchi Alayón, 2003 – Jamaica Selenops phaselus Muma, 1953 – Hispaniola Selenops pygmaeus Benoit, 1975 – Ivory Coast, Congo Selenops radiatus Latreille, 1819 – Mediterranean, Africa, Middle East, India, Myanmar, China (type species) Selenops rapax Mello-Leitão, 1929 – Brazil, Argentina Selenops rosario Alayón, 2005 – Cuba Selenops sabulosus Benoit, 1968 – Djibouti Selenops saldali Corronca, 2002 – Ghana, Nigeria Selenops scitus Muma, 1953 – Mexico Selenops secretus Hirst, 1911 – Seychelles Selenops siboney Alayón, 2005 – Cuba Selenops simius Muma, 1953 – Bahamas, Cuba, Cayman Islands Selenops souliga Crews, 2011 – Lesser Antilles (Anguilla, Saint-Martin, Sint Maarten, Saint Barthélemy) Selenops spixi Perty, 1833 – Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina Selenops submaculosus Bryant, 1940 – United States, Bahamas, Cuba, Cayman Is. Selenops tenebrosus Lawrence, 1940 – Zimbabwe, South Africa Selenops tiky Corronca, 1998 – Venezuela Selenops tomsici Corronca, 1996 – Peru Selenops tonteldoos Corronca, 2005 – South Africa Selenops trifidus Bryant, 1948 – Caribbean (Navassa Is.) Selenops vigilans Pocock, 1898 – West, Central, East Africa, Madagascar Selenops vinalesi Muma, 1953 – Cuba Selenops viron Corronca, 2002 – Kenya Selenops willinki Corronca, 1996 – Trinidad Selenops wilmotorum Crews, 2011 – Jamaica Selenops wilsoni Crews, 2011 – Jamaica Selenops ximenae Corronca, 1997 – Brazil Selenops zairensis Benoit, 1968 – Congo, Ivory Coast, Angola Selenops zuluanus Lawrence, 1940 – Botswana, Zimbabwe, South Africa Selenops zumac Corronca, 1996 – Brazil