World Spider Catalog

Pisauridae Simon, 1890

Family | ACCEPTED

N.B.: the Dolomedidae (incl. Bradystichidae) are removed from the synonymy by Morris, Hazzi & Hormiga, 2025: 8, confirmed by Yu et al., 2025: 431 (confirming Lehtinen, 1967: 231, rejecting Sierwald, 1990: 50); Sierwald, 1990: 50 recognized also a "Trechalea genus group [that] is not a close relative of the nursery-web Pisauridae" and whose members are now listed under Trechaleidae; considered a synonym of Halidae Jocqué, 1994b: 281 by Jocqué & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 2006: 212 (confirmed by Polotow, Carmichael & Griswold, 2015); probably includes Senoculidae per Murphy & Roberts, 2015: ix; Morris, Hazzi & Hormiga, 2025: 8 list three subfamilies (Halinae Jocqué, 1994: Hala, Tolma; Thaumasiinae Petrunkevitch, 1928: Architis, Thaumasia; Pisaurinae: Cladycnis, Dendrolycosa, Nilus, Paracladycnis, Perenethis, Pisaura, Pisaurina, Sphedanus) and numerous genera are deemed incertae sedis in terms of their subfamilial placement; Blandinia Tonini, Silva, Filho & Freitas, 2016 is excluded from the Pisauridae by Yu et al., 2025: 431 ("incertae sedis"), but not included into another family.

In synonymy:

Phalaea Simon, 1898 = Tetragonophthalma Karsch, 1878 (Roewer, 1955b: 167)

Gen. Tetragonophthalma Karsch, 1878 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:01736

type Tetragonophthalma phylla Karsch, 1878; gender feminine

N.B.: the type species T. phylla was regarded a nomen dubium (cf. Blandin, 1976b: 589) and is revalidated by Sherwood, Blick & Ballarin, 2025: 49; considered a senior synonym of Phalaea Simon, 1898a: 294 [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:05161] (type P. canescens Simon, 1898, fixed by Simon, 1898a: 294) by Roewer, 1955b: 167.

Transferred to other genera:

Tetragonophthalma freiburgensis (Keyserling, 1876) -- see Aglaoctenus

Tetragonophthalma obscura Keyserling, 1891 -- see Aglaoctenus

Tetragonophthalma spinipes (Taczanowski, 1873) -- see Architis

Tetragonophthalma taeniata (Mello-Leitão, 1943) -- see Birabenia

In synonymy:

Tetragonophthalma balsaci Blandin, 1976 = Tetragonophthalma phylla Karsch, 1878 (Sierwald, 1997: 385, sub Tetragonophthalma vulpina)

Tetragonophthalma canescens (Simon, 1898) = Tetragonophthalma phylla Karsch, 1878 (Sherwood, Blick & Ballarin, 2025: 49)

Tetragonophthalma crassa (Thorell, 1899) = Tetragonophthalma phylla Karsch, 1878 (Sierwald, 1997: 385, sub Tetragonophthalma vulpina)

Tetragonophthalma ferox (Pocock, 1900) = Tetragonophthalma phylla Karsch, 1878 (Blandin, 1976b: 592, sub Tetragonophthalma crassa)

Tetragonophthalma guentheri Roewer, 1955 = Tetragonophthalma phylla Karsch, 1878 (Sierwald, 1997: 385, sub Tetragonophthalma vulpina)

Tetragonophthalma lecordieri Blandin, 1976 = Tetragonophthalma phylla Karsch, 1878 (Sierwald, 1997: 385, sub Tetragonophthalma vulpina)

Tetragonophthalma pelengea Roewer, 1955 = Tetragonophthalma phylla Karsch, 1878 (Sierwald, 1997: 385, sub Tetragonophthalma vulpina)

Tetragonophthalma thomensis (Simon, 1909) = Tetragonophthalma phylla Karsch, 1878 (Sierwald, 1997: 385, sub Tetragonophthalma vulpina)

Tetragonophthalma vulpina (Simon, 1898) = Tetragonophthalma phylla Karsch, 1878 (Sherwood, Blick & Ballarin, 2025: 49)

Tetragonophthalma wittei Roewer, 1955 = Tetragonophthalma phylla Karsch, 1878 (Sierwald, 1997: 385, sub Tetragonophthalma vulpina)

Nomina dubia:

Tetragonophthalma aculeata (Strand, 1906h: 86, f, Cameroon, originally in Phalaea) -- Blandin, 1976b: 592

Tetragonophthalma annulipes (Strand, 1913a: 416, j, DR Congo, originally in Euprosthenops) -- Blandin, 1976b: 594

Tetragonophthalma marginata (Strand, 1907i: 183, j, Cameroon, originally in Phalaea) -- Blandin, 1976b: 592

Tetragonophthalma phylla Karsch, 1878 | | West, Central Africa urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:051131 TYPE SPECIES

Tetragonophthalma phylla Karsch, 1878c: 329, pl. 9, f. 4 (Df) Original description

Phalaea vulpina Simon, 1898f: 14 (Dmf) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:019790]

Phalaea canescens Simon, 1898f: 14 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:057714]

Phalaea crassa Thorell, 1899: 80 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:057716]

Phalaea ferox Pocock, 1900g: 863, pl. 55, f. 6 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:057717]

Phalaea thomensis Simon, 1909c: 388 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:057721]

Tetragonophthalma guentheri Roewer, 1955b: 172, f. 69 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:057718]

Tetragonophthalma pelengea Roewer, 1955b: 179, f. 70a-d (Dmf) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:057720]

Tetragonophthalma wittei Roewer, 1955b: 181, f. 71a-f (Dmf) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:057722]

Tetragonophthalma phylla Denis, 1955b: 137, f. 45 (Df [from Niger])

Tetragonophthalma guentheri Blandin, 1974a: 314, f. 14 (f)

Tetragonophthalma pelengea Blandin, 1974a: 315, f. 18 (m)

Tetragonophthalma vulpina Blandin, 1976b: 591, f. 4 (f)

Tetragonophthalma crassa Blandin, 1976b: 592, f. 8-11, 16, 24a (f, S of Tetragonophthalma ferox)

Tetragonophthalma guentheri Blandin, 1976b: 594, f. 1-3, 12-13, 24b (f, Dm)

Tetragonophthalma wittei Blandin, 1976b: 595, f. 5, 17 (mf)

Tetragonophthalma pelengea Blandin, 1976b: 595, f. 6 (f)

Tetragonophthalma lecordieri Blandin, 1976b: 599, f. 7, 14-15, 20, 24c (Dmf) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:057719]

Tetragonophthalma balsaci Blandin, 1976b: 602, f. 18-19, 21-23, 24d (Dmf) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:057715]

Tetragonophthalma canescens Blandin, 1976b: 591 (type is juvenile, incertae sedis, taken as nomen dubium by Platnick)

Tetragonophthalma phylla Blandin, 1976b: 589 (type is immature, incertae sedis, taken as nomen dubium by Platnick)

Tetragonophthalma guentheri Blandin, 1978c: 26, f. 6i (f)

Tetragonophthalma balsaci Blandin, 1978c: 26, f. 6j (f)

Tetragonophthalma crassa Blandin, 1978c: 26, f. 6k (f)

Tetragonophthalma lecordieri Blandin, 1978c: 26, f. 6l (f)

Tetragonophthalma vulpina Sierwald, 1997: 385, f. 23-24, 27-30 (mf, S of Tetragonophthalma balsaci, T. crassa, T. guentheri, T. lecordieri, T. pelengea, T. thomensis and T. wittei)

Tetragonophthalma phylla Sherwood, Blick & Ballarin, 2025: 49 (removed from nomen dubium, S of Tetragonophthalma canescens and T. vulpina)