Ground spiders

Family Gnaphosidae

This is a vast and diverse group of spiders found all over Australia from rainforests to deserts. Most are vagrant hunters that are especially common in forest and woodland habitats, living in leaf litter and under bark. Some are highly specialised. The slit spider of inland red sand-dune habitats makes a burrow with a wide, horizontal slit opening on the down-slope of a dune. The lower edge of the slit projects out beyond the upper edge, so that insects running down slope across the slit are guided into the cavity where they are grabbed by the waiting spider. Other spiders such as Hemicloea, are remarkably flattened for life in narrow spaces under rocks and bark.

Ground spiders are rather drably coloured, ranging from charcoal grey to pinkish brown. Some, like Anzacia, have shiny, iridescent hairs. Typically they have large, cylindrical front spinnerets that are well separated from each other. The middle eyes in the rear row are usually angular rather than rounded in shape.

Links

• Other Spider Fact sheets
  http://www.amonline.net.au/factsheets/index.htm#spiders