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.
Micrommata is a genus of huntsman spiders that was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804.
Eusparassus is a genus of huntsman spiders, known as the stone huntsman spiders, it was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1903.
Cebrennus is a genus of huntsman spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1880. It is considered a senior synonym of Cerbalopsis.
Pleorotus was a monotypic genus of Seychelloise huntsman spiders containing the single species, Pleorotus braueri. It was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1898, and was endemic to the Seychelles. The description was based on a single male collected on Mahe Island in 1894, but none have been found in later collections, and it has been declared extinct.
Peter Jäger is a German arachnologist, and current Head of Arachnology at the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Frankfurt, Germany.
Anaptomecus is a genus of huntsman spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1903.
Caayguara is a genus of Brazilian huntsman spiders that was first described by C. A. Rheims in 2010.
Decaphora is a genus of huntsman spiders which is found in tropical America. The genus was established by P. Franganillo-Balboa in 1931.
Pseudomicrommata is a genus of huntsman spiders that was first described by T. H. Järvi in 1914.
Quemedice is a genus of South American huntsman spiders that was first described by Cândido Firmino de Mello-Leitão in 1942. As of September 2019 it contains two species, found in Colombia, Argentina, and Brazil: Q. enigmaticus and Q. piracuruca. Originally placed with the Philodromidae, it was moved to the Sparassidae in 2008.
Rhitymna is a genus of huntsman spiders described in 1897 by Eugène Simon. Members of this genus can be distinguished by a number of characteristics, but it is most often confused with Olios species, many of which also have the Y-shaped pattern on the dorsal opisthosoma.
Stasinoides is a monotypic genus of Ethiopian huntsman spiders containing the single species, Stasinoides aethiopica. It was first described by Lucien Berland in 1922, and is found in Ethiopia. It has only been recorded twice, and is probably misplaced in this family.
Uaiuara is a genus of huntsman spiders that was first described by C. Rheims in 2013.
Vindullus is a genus of huntsman spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1880. Though often considered a synonym of Olios, it has been validated as its own genus.
Deelemanikara is a monotypic genus of east African huntsman spiders containing the single species, Deelemanikara christae. It was first described by Peter Jäger in 2021, and it has only been found in Madagascar.
Extraordinarius is a genus of South American huntsman spiders. It was first described by C. A. Rheims in 2019, and it has only been found in Brazil.
Martensikara is a monotypic genus of east African huntsman spiders containing the single species, Martensikara jocheni. It was first described by Peter Jäger in 2021, and it has only been found in Madagascar.
Platnickopoda is a small genus of east African huntsman spiders. It was first described by Peter Jäger in 2020, and it has only been found in Tanzania. As of April 2022 it contains only two species: P. normani and P. saccata.
Thunberga is a genus of east African huntsman spiders. The genus was first described by Peter Jäger in 2020, and it has only been found on Madagascar and on Mayotte. It is named after the environmental activist Greta Thunberg.
