# Prodidomidae > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Prodidomidae > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Prodidomidae.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prodidomidae > Source revision: 1344465749 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Subfamily of spiders Long-spinneret ground spiders female Eleleis limpopo female Theuma cedri Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Chelicerata Class: Arachnida Order: Araneae Infraorder: Araneomorphae Family: Prodidomidae Simon, 1884 Genera 24 genera, 196 species blue: reported countries (WSC) green: observation hotspots (iNaturalist) **Prodidomidae** is a family of [spider](/source/Spider), sometimes called **long-spinneret ground spiders**. It was formerly regarded as a subfamily of [Gnaphosidae](/source/Gnaphosidae), but was raised to a family in 2022.[1] Spiders in the family are easily identified by the greatly elongated base of the piriform gland spigots. At least parts of their body are covered with shiny scales or setae. The posterior median eyes are flat and silvery, with a triangular, egg-shaped or irregularly rectangular shape.[2] ## Biology Spiders in the Prodidomidae are ground dwellers. Most species are nocturnal and hide during the day in litter, but *Myandra* species, which are probably [mimicking ants](/source/Ant_mimicry), seem to be active during the day.[2] The genus *Zimiris* is [synanthropic](/source/Synanthropic) and thus found throughout the tropics. ## Distribution Although *[Theuma walteri](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Theuma_walteri&action=edit&redlink=1)* was described from [Turkmenistan](/source/Turkmenistan) by [Eugène Simon](/source/Eug%C3%A8ne_Simon), it is suspected that Simon accidentally exchanged its locality with that of *[Anagraphis](/source/Anagraphis) [pallens](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anagraphis_pallens&action=edit&redlink=1)* ([Gnaphosidae](/source/Gnaphosidae)); then *T. walteri* would have been collected in the [Cape of Good Hope](/source/Cape_of_Good_Hope), while *A. pallens* is from Turkmenistan.[3] ## Genera - *[Zimiris doriae](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zimiris_doriae&action=edit&redlink=1)* - *[Prodidomus rufus](/source/Prodidomus_rufus)* - *[Tricongius mutilatus](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tricongius_mutilatus&action=edit&redlink=1)* As of January 2026[\[update\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prodidomidae&action=edit), this family includes 24 genera and 196 species:[1] - *[Austrodomus](/source/Austrodomus)* Lawrence, 1947 – [southern Africa](/source/Southern_Africa) - *[Brasilomma](/source/Brasilomma)* Brescovit, Ferreira & Rheims, 2012 – [Brazil](/source/Brazil) - *[Caudalia](/source/Caudalia)* Alayón, 1980 – [Cuba](/source/Cuba) - *[Chileomma](/source/Chileomma)* Platnick, Shadab & Sorkin, 2005 – [Chile](/source/Chile) - *[Chileuma](/source/Chileuma)* Platnick, Shadab & Sorkin, 2005 – [Chile](/source/Chile) - *[Chilongius](/source/Chilongius)* Platnick, Shadab & Sorkin, 2005 – [Chile](/source/Chile) - *[Eleleis](/source/Eleleis)* Simon, 1893 – southern Africa - *[Indiani](/source/Indiani)* Rodrigues, Cizauskas & Lemos, 2020 – [Brazil](/source/Brazil) - *[Lygromma](/source/Lygromma)* Simon, 1893 – Costa Rica to [Brazil](/source/Brazil), [Galapagos](/source/Galapagos) - *[Lygrommatoides](/source/Lygrommatoides)* Strand, 1918 – [Japan](/source/Japan) - *[Moreno](/source/Moreno_(genus))* Mello-Leitão, 1940 – [Argentina](/source/Argentina), [Chile](/source/Chile) - *[Namundra](/source/Namundra)* Platnick & Bird, 2007 – [Angola](/source/Angola), [Namibia](/source/Namibia), [South Africa](/source/South_Africa) - *[Neozimiris](/source/Neozimiris)* Simon, 1903 – [Bahamas](/source/Bahamas), [Colombia](/source/Colombia), [Curaçao](/source/Cura%C3%A7ao), [Galapagos](/source/Galapagos), [Mexico](/source/Mexico), [Panama](/source/Panama), [Puerto Rico](/source/Puerto_Rico), [United States](/source/United_States), Mexico - *[Nopyllus](/source/Nopyllus)* Ott, 2014 – [Brazil](/source/Brazil) - *[Paleotoca](/source/Paleotoca)* Cizauskas, Zampaulo & Brescovit, 2024 – [Brazil](/source/Brazil) - *[Paracymbiomma](/source/Paracymbiomma)* Rodrigues, Cizauskas & Rheims, 2018 – [Brazil](/source/Brazil) - *[Plutonodomus](/source/Plutonodomus)* Cooke, 1964 – [Tanzania](/source/Tanzania) - *[Prodidomus](/source/Prodidomus)* Hentz, 1847 – Mediterranean, Africa, Australia, Asia, Venezuela, [Hawaii](/source/Hawaii) - *[Purcelliana](/source/Purcelliana)* Cooke, 1964 – [Namibia](/source/Namibia), [South Africa](/source/South_Africa) - *[Theuma](/source/Theuma)* Simon, 1893 – Africa, Turkmenistan (?) - *[Tivodrassus](/source/Tivodrassus)* Chamberlin & Ivie, 1936 – [Mexico](/source/Mexico) - *[Tricongius](/source/Tricongius)* Simon, 1893 – [Argentina](/source/Argentina), [Brazil](/source/Brazil), [Colombia](/source/Colombia), [Venezuela](/source/Venezuela) - *[Zimirina](/source/Zimirina)* Dalmas, 1919 – North Africa, southern Europe, South Africa - *[Zimiris](/source/Zimiris)* Simon, 1882 – Yemen (Socotra), India. Introduced circumtropical A 2020 [phylogenetic analysis](/source/Phylogenetic_analysis) involving 59 species of Prodidominae and 32 [outgroup](/source/Outgroup_(cladistics)) species did not recover Prodidominae as [monophyletic](/source/Monophyletic) because *[Anagrina](/source/Anagrina)* did not arise within the subfamily.[4] The study re-established Molycriinae (including genera *[Cryptoerithus](/source/Cryptoerithus)*, *[Molycria](/source/Molycria)*, *[Nomindra](/source/Nomindra)*, *[Wesmaldra](/source/Wesmaldra)*, and *[Wydundra](/source/Wydundra)*) as a distinct subfamily in [Gnaphosidae](/source/Gnaphosidae), a sister to Prodidominae.[4] ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-wsc_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-wsc_1-1) ["Family Prodidomidae Simon, 1884"](https://wsc.nmbe.ch/lsid/urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spiderfam:000081). World Spider Catalog. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.24436/2](https://doi.org/10.24436%2F2). Retrieved 2026-01-22. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-baehr_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-baehr_2-1) Barbara Baehr: [Prodidomidae](http://www.australasian-arachnology.org/arachnology/araneae/prodidomidae/) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-platnick2006_3-0)** Platnick & Baehr 2006 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-zjls_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-zjls_4-1) Rodrigues, Bruno V. B.; Rheims, Cristina A. (2020). ["Phylogenetic analysis of the subfamily Prodidominae (Arachnida: Araneae: Gnaphosidae)"](https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/190/2/654/5812863). *Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society*. **190** (2): 654–708. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa013](https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fzoolinnean%2Fzlaa013). ## Bibliography - Platnick, N.I. & Penney, D. (2004): [A Revision of the Widespread Spider Genus *Zimiris* (Araneae, Prodidomidae)](http://hdl.handle.net/2246/2815). *American Museum Novitates* **3450**. - Platnick, Norman I. & Baehr, Barbara C. (2006): [A revision of the Australasian ground spiders of the family Prodidomidae (Araneae, Gnaphosoidea)](http://hdl.handle.net/2246/5788). *Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History* **298**: 1-287. (with keys to subfamilies and genera, and picture) ## External links - [Citizen science observations for Prodidomidae](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/53828) at [iNaturalist](/source/INaturalist) - [Picture of *Molycria flavipes*](http://www.australasian-arachnology.org/arachnology/araneae/prodidomidae/) Taxon identifiers Prodidomidae Wikidata: Q11684 Wikispecies: Prodidomidae ADW: Prodidomidae AFD: Prodidomidae BioLib: 231898 BOLD: 285443 BugGuide: 667563 CoL: 8ZY9H EoL: 188 Fauna Europaea: 10688 Fauna Europaea (new): 4cdd12c3-e03e-488c-a5a5-41888c0fe59f GBIF: 5643 iNaturalist: 53828 IRMNG: 108190 ITIS: 871535 NCBI: 243499 Open Tree of Life: 4694885 Paleobiology Database: 268872 Plazi: A521879F-FFD7-FFAB-B99F-60BAFEBDFD6F WSC: urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spiderfam:0053 Authority control databases International GND National Israel --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Prodidomidae](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prodidomidae) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prodidomidae?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.