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.
Corinnidae is a family of araneomorph spiders, sometimes called corinnid sac spiders. The family, like other "clubionoid" families, has a confusing taxonomic history. Once it was a part of the large catch-all taxon Clubionidae, now very much smaller. The original members of the family are apparently similar only in that they have eight eyes arranged in two rows, conical anterior spinnerets that touch and are generally wandering predators that build silken retreats, or sacs, usually on plant terminals, between leaves, under bark or under rocks.
Cyrba is a genus of spiders in the family Salticidae. The genus was erected by Hippolyte Lucas in 1846.
Reginald Frederick Lawrence FRSSAf was a South African arachnologist and myriapodologist at the South African Museum in Cape Town from 1922 until 1935, director of the Natal Museum in Pietermaritzburg from 1935 until 1948 and a researcher and staff member of the same museum until 1986.
Trachelidae is a family of araneomorph spiders first described by Eugène Simon in 1897 as a subfamily called "Tracheleae". The Trachelidae family, also known as "ground sac spiders", is within the group of spiders known as the RTA clade, which includes mostly wandering spiders that do not use webs. Spiders in the Trachelidae family are characterized as being 3-10mm long and having a red cephalothorax and a yellow/tan abdomen. They are commonly found indoors. It was placed in the family Clubionidae, then later in Corinnidae when the Clubionidae were split up. The first study that suggested Trachelidae should be considered its own family was done by Deeleman-reinhold in 2001 as part of an analysis of RTA Clade spiders. An analysis by Martín J. Ramírez in 2014 suggested that it was not closely related to other members of the Corinnidae, and was better treated as a separate family. It was then placed in the CTC clade of spiders, or the Claw Tuft Clasper clade, which is a group of spiders that have two tarsal claws with tufts of hair.
Arushina is a monotypic genus of East African corinnid sac spiders containing the single species, Arushina dentichelis. It was first described by Lodovico di Caporiacco in 1947, and has only been found in Tanzania. Originally placed with the Dictynidae, it was moved to the Ant spiders in 1967, to the Sac spiders in 1991, then to the Corrinid sac spiders in 2000.
Vendaphaea is a monotypic genus of African corinnid sac spiders containing the single species, Vendaphaea lajuma. It was first described by C. R. Haddad in 2009, and has only been found in South Africa.
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.
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.
Arandisa is a monotypic genus of Namibian huntsman spiders containing the single species, Arandisa deserticola. It was first described by R. F. Lawrence in 1938, and is found in Namibia.
Palystella is a genus of huntsman spiders that was first described by R. F. Lawrence in 1928.
Panaretella is a genus of South African huntsman spiders that was first described by R. F. Lawrence in 1937.
Austrodomus is a genus of South African long-spinneret ground spider that was first described by R. F. Lawrence in 1947.
Lessertina is a genus of African araneomorph spiders in the family Cheiracanthiidae, first described by R. F. Lawrence in 1942. As of April 2019 it contains only two species, both found in South Africa.
Griswoldia is a genus of southern African false wolf spiders. It was first described by A. S. Dippenaar-Schoeman and Rudy Jocqué in 1997, and it has only been found in South Africa.
Jocquestus is a genus of African araneomorph spiders in the family Trachelidae, first described by R. Lyle & C. R. Haddad in 2018.
Spinotrachelas is a genus of South African araneomorph spiders in the family Trachelidae, first described by C. R. Haddad in 2006.
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.
Latrodectus umbukwane, commonly known as the Phinda button spider, is a species of the spider in the genus Latrodectus described in 2019, named after the Phinda Private Game Reserve where research specimens were collected. As of 2019, it is known only from critically endangered sand forest environments in northern Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is believed to be the largest member of its genus.
