Huntsman spiders, members of the family Sparassidae, are known by this name because of their speed and mode of hunting. They are also called giant crab spiders because of their size and appearance. Larger species sometimes are referred to as wood spiders, because of their preference for woody places. In southern Africa the genus Palystes are known as rain spiders or lizard-eating spiders. Commonly, they are confused with baboon spiders from the Mygalomorphae infraorder, which are not closely related.
Palpimanidae, also known as palp-footed spiders, is a family of araneomorph spiders first described by Tamerlan Thorell in 1890. They are widely distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, the Mediterranean and one in Uzbekistan, but not Australia. They are not common and there is a high degree of endemism.
Diploglena is a genus of African araneomorph spiders in the family Caponiidae, first described by William Frederick Purcell in 1904.
Leucorchestris is a genus of African huntsman spiders that was first described in 1962 by R. F. Lawrence, who described all of the species in the genus between 1962 and 1966.
Platyoides is a genus of spiders belonging to the family Trochanteriidae. Its members are known as scorpion spiders and are found in sub-Saharan Africa and its islands, Madagascar, Réunion, Aldabra and the Canary Islands.
Carparachne is a genus of Namibian huntsman spiders that was first described by R. F. Lawrence in 1962. As of September 2019 it contains two species, found in Namibia: C. alba and C. aureoflava. The golden wheel spider uses cartwheeling to move across hot, sandy ground, similar to the related Cebrennus rechenbergi, which uses a flic-flac motion.
Dresserus is a genus of African velvet spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1876.
Paradonea is a genus of African velvet spiders that was first described by R. F. Lawrence in 1968.
Austrachelas is a genus of African long-jawed ground spiders in the family Gallieniellidae, and was first described by R. F. Lawrence in 1938. Originally placed with the corinnid sac spiders, it was moved to the Gallieniellidae in 2009.
Drassodella is a genus of African araneomorph spiders in the family Gallieniellidae, and was first described by John Hewitt in 1916. Originally placed with the ground spiders, it was moved to the Gallieniellidae in 1990.
Spiroctenus is a genus of African araneomorph spiders in the family Bemmeridae. It was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1889. Originally placed with the Ctenizidae, it was transferred to the funnel-web trapdoor spiders in 1985, and to the Bemmeridae in 2020. It is a senior synonym of Bemmeris, Bessia, and Ctenonemus.
Microrchestris is a genus of Namibian huntsman spiders that was first described by R. F. Lawrence in 1962. As of September 2019 it contains two species, found in Namibia: M. melanogaster and M. scutatus.
Orchestrella is a genus of Namibian huntsman spiders that was first described by R. F. Lawrence in 1965. As of September 2019 it contains two species, found in Namibia: O. caroli and O. longipes.
Palystella is a genus of huntsman spiders that was first described by R. F. Lawrence in 1928.
Trephopoda is a genus of southern African ground spiders first described by R. W. E. Tucker in 1923. They have only been found in Namibia and South Africa.
Trichothyse is a genus of African ground spiders that was first described by R. W. E. Tucker in 1923.
Theuma is a genus of African long-spinneret ground spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1893. It was transferred to the ground spiders in 2018, then returned in 2022.
Ikuma is a genus of Namibian palp-footed spiders that was first described by R. F. Lawrence in 1938. As of June 2019, it contains only two species, found only in Namibia: I. spiculosa and I. squamata.
Namibesia is a monotypic genus of daesiid camel spiders, first described by Reginald Frederick Lawrence in 1962. Its single species, Namibesiapallida is distributed in Namibia.
Trichotoma is a genus of gylippid camel spiders, first described by Reginald Frederick Lawrence in 1968.
