Ground spiders comprise Gnaphosidae, the seventh largest spider family with over 2,000 described species in over 100 genera distributed worldwide. There are 105 species known to central Europe, and common genera include Gnaphosa, Drassodes, Micaria, Cesonia, Zelotes and many others. They are closely related to Clubionidae. At present, no ground spiders are known to be seriously venomous to humans.
Latrodectus bishopi is the scientific name for the red widow spider, which is endemic to the Florida scrub habitat of central and southern Florida, where it lives primarily in sand dunes dominated by sand pine, Pinus clausa – a type of vegetation found only in Florida and coastal Alabama.
Ralph Vary Chamberlin was an American biologist, ethnographer, and historian from Salt Lake City, Utah. He was a faculty member of the University of Utah for over 25 years, where he helped establish the School of Medicine and served as its first dean, and later became head of the zoology department. He also taught at Brigham Young University and the University of Pennsylvania, and worked for over a decade at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, where he described species from around the world.
Parnassius stoliczkanus, the Ladakh banded Apollo, is a rare high-altitude butterfly which is found in Central Asia. It is a member of the snow Apollo genus (Parnassius) of the swallowtail family. It is named after the naturalist and explorer Ferdinand Stoliczka.
Theridula is a genus of cobweb spiders, found in many parts of the world. Species vary in size from 1 to 3.5 mm in length.
Gasteracantha cancriformis is a species of orb-weaver spider. It is widely distributed in the New World.
Callilepis is a genus of ground spiders first described by Niklas Westring in 1874. Some are found from Mexico to Canada, others from Europe to India. They are most commonly found in dry areas, sandy roads and beaches.
Zygoballus sexpunctatus is a species of jumping spider which occurs in the southeastern United States where it can be found in a variety of grassy habitats. Adult spiders measure between 3 and 4.5 mm in length. The cephalothorax and abdomen are bronze to black in color, with reddish brown or yellowish legs. The male has distinctive enlarged chelicerae and front femora. Like many jumping spiders, Z. sexpunctatus males exhibit ritualized courtship and agonistic behavior.
Eucteniza is a genus of trapdoor spiders in the family Euctenizidae containing at least 14 species occurring in Mexico and the southern United States. Species are distinguished by a softened rear portion of the carapace, and males possess large spines on the first two pairs of walking legs that are used to hold females during mating. Like other trapdoor spiders they create burrows with a hinged lid, from which they await passing insects and other arthropods to prey upon. Many species are known from only one or two localities, or from only male specimens. More species are expected to be discovered. Eucteniza is closely related to spiders of the genera Entychides and Neoapachella.
Drassodes cupreus is a species of spider in the genus Drassodes, family Gnaphosidae. A ground-living nocturnal hunter, it spends the day in a silken retreat.
Rabidosa hentzi is a small species of wolf spider found in North America. Most identified specimens were found in Florida, though some have been found in Georgia and Louisiana. Its color is like that of Rabidosa carrana or Rabidosa rabida, but it is distinguished from other Rabidosa species by its paler color and distinct striped pattern on its back. The cephalothorax is a pale brown-yellow color. Between these is a narrower bright yellow to white streak that extends past the eyes. The sternum and abdomen are both pale, though the upper sides are streaked and spotted with brown markings. The eyes are on a black band that extends back, fading into the pale brown. The spermathecae are round and the palea of the pedipalp has a sclerotized cap. Males and females have a similar face and chelicera, though that of males is usually lighter brown. Males will generally have fewer lateral brown markings on the abdomen than females. In the field, it can be distinguished from similar looking species by the thin yellow stripe on its back. Though usually a ground-dweller, due to scopula hairs on the tarsi and metatarsi, it can sometimes climb into shrubs and bushes. It is the only wolf spider that climbs up into the higher vegetation in open woodland.
Allocyclosa is a genus of orb weaver spiders that contains only one species, Allocyclosa bifurca. It was first described in 1887 by McCook under the name Cyrtophora bifurca, and was transferred to its own genus in 1999. It is the only Cyclosa species north of Mexico to have a forked rear tip of the abdomen hence the name bifurca, Latin for "two-pronged". The forked tip of the abdomen, bearing two humps shaped like the letter M, is a defining feature in both males and females, though it is similar to features present in certain Cyrtophora species. Both sexes are a grey-green color, though only females have an area of red on their underside between the epigynum and the spinnerets. Females are much larger than males, ranging from five to nine millimeters, while males range from two to three millimeters. Males appear to be very uncommon, but they are probably often overlooked by collectors due to their small size. In a 1977 study by Levi, only two of the nearly 350 specimens that were positively identified as Cyrtophora bifurca were males. This is a very unusual distribution; a second, less likely explanation that has been proposed is that females of the species, which have less prominent genitalia compared with those of other members of the orb-weaver family, may be parthenogenic, are able to reproduce without the help of males. Like most other members of Araneidae, these spiders build orb webs, six to eight inches in diameter, but employ an unusual form of protective mimicry. Females often sit in the middle of a vertical row of web decoration that include egg sacs and wrapped prey. Because the spider and the egg sacs have a similar color and shape, it is difficult to distinguish the egg sacs from the spider itself.
Drassyllus is a genus of ground spiders that was first described by R. V. Chamberlin in 1922.
Schizocosa mccooki is a species of wolf spider in the family Lycosidae. They can be found from the west coast to western Lake Erie in western North America, including Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
Clubiona clima is a species of Clubionidae spider endemic to New Zealand.
Clubiona contrita is a species of Clubionidae spider endemic to New Zealand.
Clubiona convoluta is a species of Clubionidae spider endemic to New Zealand.
Clubiona huttoni is a species of Clubionidae spider endemic to New Zealand.
Clubiona producta is a species of Clubionidae spider endemic to New Zealand.
Cycloctenus duplex is a species of Cycloctenidae spider endemic to New Zealand.
