Wandering spider

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: Neogene–present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
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.

General

Main article: List of Ctenidae species

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

See also

• List of Ctenidae species