Biology:Sac spider

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Short description: Family of spiders

Sac spider
Temporal range: Palaeogene–present
Clubiona trivialis
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Clubionidae
Simon, 1878
Diversity
18 genera, 678 species
blue: reported countries (WSC)
green: observation hotspots (iNaturalist)

The sac spiders of the family Clubionidae[lower-alpha 1] are nocturnal, sac-building hunting spiders with a near-worldwide distribution. Their sacs, silken retreats in which they hide during the day, may be made in a variety of places, including between folded leaves or grass blades, under bark and below rocks or other ground litter.[1]

Although formerly a much larger catch-all taxon, in its current definition the family contains less than 700 described species across 18 genera, of which Clubiona is by far most species-rich, with 528 accepted species as of November 2024.[2]

Taxonomy

The Clubionidae have a complex taxonomic history. Historically, the family was a large catch-all taxon for a variety of spiders that shared the following morphological and behavioral similarities: having eight eyes arranged in two rows; having conical anterior spinnerets that touched; and being nocturnal wandering predators that build "sacs" to retreat to during the day.[citation needed]

A large number of genera have been transferred from Clubionidae to other families, and several former subfamilies of the Clubionidae are now treated as separate families.[3] The Zoropsidae, to which genera Anachemmis, Lauricius and Liocranoides were transferred, is much more closely related to the lynx spiders of family Oxyopidae than to the remaining Clubionidae.[4]

According to 2023 cladistic research by Siddharth Kulkarni, Hannah M. Wood and Gustavo Hormiga, the remaining Clubionidae remain polyphyletic as a result of the current placement of genus Elaver.[4]

Genera

As of January 2026, this family includes eighteen genera and 678 species:[3]

  • Arabellata Baert, Versteirt & Jocqué, 2010 – Papua New Guinea
  • Bucliona Benoit, 1977 – Kenya, St. Helena, Eastern Asia, Russia
  • Clubiona Latreille, 1804 – Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, Chile, Guyana
  • Clubionina Berland, 1947Île Saint-Paul
  • Elaver O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1898 – North America, South America
  • Femorbiona Yu & Li, 2021 – China, Vietnam
  • Invexillata Versteirt, Baert & Jocqué, 2010 – Papua New Guinea
  • Malamatidia Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 – China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia
  • Matidia Thorell, 1878 – Asia, New Guinea
  • Nusatidia Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 – China, Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, Borneo
  • Porrhoclubiona Lohmander, 1944 – Asia, Europe, North Africa
  • Pristidia Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 – China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand
  • Pteroneta Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 – China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Guinea
  • Ramosatidia Yu & Li, 2021 – China
  • Scopalio Deeleman-Reinhold, 2001 – Borneo
  • Simalio Simon, 1897 – Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Trinidad
  • Sinostidia Yu & Li, 2021 – China
  • Tixcocoba Gertsch, 1977 – Mexico

Additionally, the World Spider Catalog considers Carteroniella Strand, 1907 to be a nomen dubium.[5]

Notes

  1. the term "sac spider" is also part of the common name of various non-clubionid spiders—such as yellow sac spiders (Cheiracanthiidae) or corinnid sac spiders (Corinnidae)—many of which were formerly included in Clubionidae

References

  1. Das Sarkar, Irina; Quasin, Shazia; Siliwal, Manju (April 2023). "Two new species of sac spiders (Araneae: Clubionidae) from the Indian Western Himalayas". Serket 19: 126. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370156209_Two_new_species_of_sac_spiders_Araneae_Clubionidae_from_the_Indian_Western_Himalayas. Retrieved 26 April 2025. 
  2. "Clubiona Species list". Natural History Museum Bern. https://wsc.nmbe.ch/specieslist/502. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Family Clubionidae Simon, 1878". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. https://wsc.nmbe.ch/catalog/17. Retrieved 2026-01-18. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Kulkarni, Siddharth; Wood, Hannah M.; Hormiga, Gustavo (December 2023). "Advances in the reconstruction of the spider tree of life: A roadmap for spider systematics and comparative studies" (in en). Cladistics 39 (6): 479–532. doi:10.1111/cla.12557. ISSN 0748-3007. PMID 37787157. 
  5. "Carteroniella Strand 1907". Natural History Museum Bern. https://wsc.nmbe.ch/genus/500?type=nd. 

Wikidata ☰ Q8634 entry