Zoropsidae

False wolf spiders
Temporal range:
Zoropsis spinimana
Griswoldia urbensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Zoropsidae
Bertkau, 1882
Diversity[1]
28 genera, 186 species
blue: reported countries (WSC)
green: observation hotspots (iNaturalist)

Zoropsidae, also known as false wolf spiders for their physical similarity to wolf spiders, is a family of cribellate araneomorph spiders first described by Philipp Bertkau in 1882.[2] They can be distinguished from wolf spiders by their two rows of eyes that are more equal in size than those of Lycosidae.

The families Tengellidae and Zorocratidae are now included in Zoropsidae.[3]

Genera

As of January 2026, this family includes 28 genera and 186 species:[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Family Zoropsidae Bertkau, 1882". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2026-01-18.
  2. ^ Bertkau, P. (1882). "Über das Cribellum und Calamistrum". Ein Beitrag zur Histologie, Biologie und Systematik der Spinnen. Archiv für Naturgeschichte. 48: 316–362.
  3. ^ Polotow, Daniele; Carmichael, Anthea & Griswold, Charles E. (2015). "Total evidence analysis of the phylogenetic relationships of Lycosoidea spiders (Araneae, Entelegynae)". Invertebrate Systematics. 29 (2): 124–163. doi:10.1071/IS14041.