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.
Oonopidae, also known as goblin spiders, is a family of spiders consisting of over 1,600 described species in about 113 genera worldwide, with total species diversity estimated at 2000 to 2500 species. The type genus of the family is OonopsKeyserling, 1835.
Enoplomischus is a genus of African jumping spiders that was first described by L. Giltay in 1931. As of June 2019, it contains only two species, found only in Africa: E. ghesquierei and E. spinosus. It has a large, spike-like process on its pedicel that probably mimics a similar spike present in the anterior part of the abdomen of Odontomachus ants after which these spiders seem to be modeled.
Microstigmatidae is a small family of spiders with about 38 described species in eleven genera. They are small ground-dwelling and free-living spiders that make little use of silk.
Cithaeronidae is a small family of araneomorph spiders first described by Simon in 1893 Female Cithaeron are about 5 to 7 millimetres long, males about 4 millimetres (0.16 in).
Prodidomidae is a family of spider, sometimes called long-spinneret ground spiders. It was formerly regarded as a subfamily of Gnaphosidae, but was raised to a family in 2022.
Orsolobidae is a six-eyed spider family with about 180 described species in thirty genera. It was first described by J. A. L. Cooke in 1965, and was raised to family status from "Dysderidae" in 1985.
Pisaura is a genus of Eurasian spiders in the family Pisauridae.
Caponiidae is a family of ecribellate haplogyne spiders that are unusual in a number of ways. They differ from other spiders in lacking book lungs and having the posterior median spinnerets anteriorly displaced to form a transverse row with the anterior lateral spinnerets. Most species have only two eyes, which is also unusual among spiders. A few species of Caponiidae variously have four, six or eight eyes. In some species the number of eyes will increase when the spiderling changes its skin as it grows towards adulthood.
Anoploscelus is a genus of East African tarantulas that was first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1897. It was erected for the species Anoploscelus celeripes, based on a single male collected near Lake Tanganyika in modern day Tanzania. It was synonymized with Phoneyusa from 1985 to 1990. As of December 2019 it contains two species, including A. lesserti, first found in Rwanda in 1946.
Harpactirella is a genus of African tarantulas that was first described by William Frederick Purcell in 1902. Originally placed with the brushed trapdoor spiders, it was transferred to the tarantulas in 1985.
Entypesa is a genus of African mygalomorph spiders in the family Entypesidae. It was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1902. Originally placed with the curtain-web spiders, it was transferred to the funnel-web trapdoor spiders in 1985, then to the Entypesidae in 2020. It is a senior synonym of Pseudohermacha.
Eilica is a genus of ground spiders that was first described by Eugen von Keyserling in 1891.
Afropisaura is a genus of African nursery web spiders that was first described by P. Blandin in 1976. As of June 2019 it contains only three species, found only in Africa: A. ducis, A. rothiformis, and A. valida.
Koinothrix is a monotypic genus of West African dwarf spiders containing the single species, Koinothrix pequenops. It was first described by R. Jocqué in 1981, and has only been found in Cabo Verde.
Euprosthenops is a genus of nursery web spiders that was first described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1897.
Spinembolia is a monotypic genus of African comb-footed spiders containing the single species, Spinembolia clabnum. It was first described by Michael I. Saaristo in 2006, and is found on the Seychelles.
Stoda is a monotypic genus of African comb-footed spiders containing the single species, Stoda libudum. It was first described by Michael I. Saaristo in 2006, and is found on the Seychelles.
Neaetha catula is a species of jumping spider in the genus Neaetha that lives in East and Southern Africa. The male was first described in 1886 by Eugène Simon and the female by Ludovico di Caporiacco in 1949. First discovered in Zanzibar, examples have also been identified in Kenya. The spider is small, 3 mm (0.12 in) long, with a generally black cephalothorax and abdomen, although the abdomen has a pattern of spots towards the rear and a thin line that divides it in two. The species can be distinguished from others in the genus by the lack of central pocket in the female's epigyne. This feature led Dmitri Logunov to consider whether the spider belongs to the genus.
Afropesa is a genus of southern African mygalomorph spiders in the family Entypesidae. It was first described by S. L. Zonstein and D. Ríos-Tamayo in 2021, and it has only been found in South Africa. As of November 2021 it contains only three species: A. gauteng, A. schoutedeni, and A. schwendingeri. The type species was originally described under the name "Entypesa schoutedeni.
