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.
Scaffold web spiders or cave cobweb spiders (Nesticidae) are a family of araneomorph spiders closely allied with tangle-web spiders (Theridiidae). Like the Theridiidae, these spiders have a comb of serrated bristles on the hind tarsi that are used to pull silk bands from the spinnerets. Nesticidae contains 16 genera and about 300 species, many of which are associated with caves or overhangs. The genus Nesticus is the type for the family and is found throughout the world. The related Eidmannella has speciated considerably in Texas caves and includes some extremely localized species that are considered threatened. One species, Eidmannella pallida, is found in caves and under overhangs, but also in agricultural fields and other habitats away from such restricted areas. The genus Carpathonesticus is found in central Eurasia.
Prodidominae 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.
Ozyptila is a genus of crab spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1864. It has been misspelled as "Oxyptila" in multiple accounts.
Dysdera is a genus of woodlouse hunting spiders that was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804. They originated from Central Asia to Central Europe.
Lathys is a genus of cribellate araneomorph spiders in the family Dictynidae, and was first described by Eugène Simon in 1884. It is a replacement name for "Lethia" Menge, 1869 because that name was already in use as a synonym for a genus of moths.
Apostenus is a genus of liocranid sac spiders that was first described by Niklas Westring in 1851.
Leptodrassex is a genus of ground spiders that was first described by J. Murphy in 2007.
Leptodrassus is a genus of ground spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1878.
Nomisia is a genus of ground spiders that was first described by R. de Dalmas in 1921.
Scotognapha is a genus of European ground spiders that was first described by R. de Dalmas in 1920.
Setaphis is a genus of ground spiders that was first described by Eugène Simon in 1893.
Plutonodomus is a monotypic genus of Tanzanian long-spinneret ground spiders containing the single species, Plutonodomus kungwensis. It was first described by J. A. L. Cooke in 1964, and is only found in Tanzania. It was transferred to the ground spiders in 2018, then returned to Prodidominae in 2022.
Prodidomus is a genus of long-spinneret ground spiders that was first described by Nicholas Marcellus Hentz in 1847.
Purcelliana is a genus of South African long-spinneret ground spiders. It was first described by J. A. L. Cooke in 1964, and is only found in South Africa.
Pelecopsis is a genus of dwarf spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1864.
Typhochrestus is a genus of sheet weavers that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1884.
Porrhoclubiona is a genus of sac spiders that was first described as a subgenus of Clubiona by H. Lohmander in 1944. Clubiona is a polyphyletic group that has been divided and reorganized many times, and whether this genus is a synonym of Clubiona or an independent genus is still under debate.
