Ground Spiders - Family: Gnaphosidae
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The largest family in the Superfamily: Gnaphosoidea, this family is also the sixth largest in the Order: Araneae with 2459 species in 150 genera. Of the latter, 62 * are unplaced and the remainder is divided into 10 subfamilies. The Northern Rivers is home to at least 18 species with a further 2 genera represented by a single unidentified species each. The name 'Gnaphosi' was first used by the American arachnologist Nathan Banks in 1892 for a tribe of spiders in the family Sparassidae. Six years later Reginald I. Pocock had elevated the tribe to family status.
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The single-most unifying feature of the Gnaphosidae are large, 'barrel-shaped anterior spinnerets, one spinneret diameter apart' that are easily observed protuding from the abdomen. The genus: Micaria, which consists of ant-mimicking species do not have this particular feature though. Most are medium-sized spiders with body-lengths between 8-15 mm. Brown and black are the most common colours of these spiders and their abdomen is usually egg-shaped with the large spinnerets clearly visible. They are effective hunters, fast runners and they may adopt aggressive poses when threatened.
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As spiders who live solitary lives on the ground finding a mate may be problematic. To help the male find her, when in season, the female may drag a silk line around impregnated with pheromones. Should a male come across this line, all he needs to do is follow to reach a potential mate. Female Ground Spiders produce oddly bulging papery sacs for their eggs which they guard vigilantly. Once the eggs hatch the spiderlings remain with their mother until they reach maturity and disperse.
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Unplaced Genera
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Anzacia sp.
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Avstroneulanda grayi (likely occurrence)
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Avstroneulanda johnmurphyi (possible occurrence)
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Avstroneulanda raveni (possible occurrence)
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Common Encoptarthria - Encoptarthria echemophthalma
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Intruda signata
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Subfamily: Echeminae
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Echemus dilutus
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Subfamily: Gnaphosinae
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Eilica contacta (possible occurrence)
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Subfamily: Herpyllinae
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Aphantaulax scotophaea
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Ceryerda cursitans (possible occurrence)
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Subfamily: Micarinae
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Micaria sp.
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Subfamily: Molycriinae
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Molycria broadwater (possible occurrence)
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Molycria bundjalung
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Molycria goanna
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Molycria grayi
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Molycria mammosa
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Molycria wrightae (possible occurrence)
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Myandra bicincta
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Myandra cambridgei (possible occurrence)
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Myandra myall (likely occurrence)
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Taxonomy:
Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
> Subphylum: Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
> Class: Arachnida (Arachnids)
> Order: Aranea (Spiders)
> Suborder: Araneomorphae (Typical Spiders)
> Infraorder: Entelegynea (Entelegyne Spiders)
> Superfamily: Gnaphosoidea (Ground Spiders and Allies)
> Family: Gnaphosidae (Ground Spiders)
Unplaced genera in the Family: Gnaphosidae
> Genus: Anzacia (Patriotic Ground Spiders)
> Species: ?
> Genus: Avstroneulanda
> Species: A. grayi *
> Species: A. johnmurphyi ^
> Species: A. raveni ^
> Genus: Encoptarthria
> Species: E. echemophthalma - Common Encoptarthria
> Genus: Intruda
> Species: I. signata
> Subfamily: Echeminae
> Genus: Echemus
> Species: E. dilutus
> Subfamily: Gnaphosinae
> Genus: Eilica
> Species: E. contacta ^
> Subfamily: Herpyllinae
> Genus: Aphantaulax
> Species: A. scotophaea
> Genus: Ceryerda
> Species: C. cursitans ^
> Subfamily: Micarinae
> Genus: Micaria
> Species: ?
> Subfamily: Molycriinae
> Genus: Molycria
> Species: M. broadwater ^
> Species: M. bundjalung
> Species: M. goanna
> Species: M. grayi
> Species: M. mammosa
> Species: M. wrightae ^
> Genus: Myandra
> Species: M. bicincta
> Species: M. cambridgei ^
> Species: M. myall *
* = likely
^ = possibly
References and links:
> Banks, N., (1892). 'A classification of the North American spiders.' The Canadian Entomologist 24(4): 88-97. doi:10.4039/Ent2488-4
> Ovtsharenko, V.I. and Platnick, N.I., (1995). 'On the Australasian ground spider genera Anzacia and Adelphodrassus (Araneae, Gnaphosidae). ' American Museum Novitates 3154: 1-16.
> Pocock, R.I., (1898). 'The Arachnida from the province of Natal, South Africa, contained in the collection of the British Museum.' Annals and Magazine of Natural History (7) 2(9): 197-226, pl. 8. doi:10.1080/00222939808678036
> Zakharov, B.P., Ovtsharenko, V.I., (2022). 'A revision of the ground spider genus Zelanda Özdikmen, 2009 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae), with a description of a new genus from Australasia.' Arachnology, 19(sp1), 265-301, (27 June 2022)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_spider
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Banks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_Innes_Pocock
https://spideridentifications.com/ground-spiders
https://wsc.nmbe.ch/familydetail/36
https://wsc.nmbe.ch/statistics/
> Banks, N., (1892). 'A classification of the North American spiders.' The Canadian Entomologist 24(4): 88-97. doi:10.4039/Ent2488-4
> Ovtsharenko, V.I. and Platnick, N.I., (1995). 'On the Australasian ground spider genera Anzacia and Adelphodrassus (Araneae, Gnaphosidae). ' American Museum Novitates 3154: 1-16.
> Pocock, R.I., (1898). 'The Arachnida from the province of Natal, South Africa, contained in the collection of the British Museum.' Annals and Magazine of Natural History (7) 2(9): 197-226, pl. 8. doi:10.1080/00222939808678036
> Zakharov, B.P., Ovtsharenko, V.I., (2022). 'A revision of the ground spider genus Zelanda Özdikmen, 2009 (Araneae: Gnaphosidae), with a description of a new genus from Australasia.' Arachnology, 19(sp1), 265-301, (27 June 2022)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_spider
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Banks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_Innes_Pocock
https://spideridentifications.com/ground-spiders
https://wsc.nmbe.ch/familydetail/36
https://wsc.nmbe.ch/statistics/
Photographic contributions: