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.

Gen. Afropisaura Blandin, 1976 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:01693

type Pisaura valida Simon, 1885; gender feminine

In synonymy:

Afropisaura camerunensis (Roewer, 1955, T from Pisaura) = Afropisaura ducis (Strand, 1913) (Blandin, 1976c: 936)

Afropisaura faradjensis (Lessert, 1928, T from Pisaura) = Afropisaura rothiformis (Strand, 1908) (Blandin, 1976c: 932)

Afropisaura rothiformis orientalis (Strand, 1913) = Afropisaura rothiformis (Strand, 1908) (Roewer, 1955b: 220, sub Pisaura)

Afropisaura ducis (Strand, 1913) | | West, Central, East Africa, South Africa urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:019500

Pisaura ducis Strand, 1913a: 419 (Dm) Original description

Pisaura ducis Roewer, 1955b: 223, f. 85a-d (m, Df)

Pisaura camerunensis Roewer, 1955b: 229, f. 87a-b (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:061015]

Afropisaura ducis Blandin, 1976c: 934, f. 4, 23-24, 26, 28-29 (mf, T from Pisaura, S of Pisaura camerunensis)

Afropisaura ducis Sierwald, 1997: 381, f. 20-22 (f)

Afropisaura ducis Dippenaar-Schoeman et al., 2020q: 7, 8 f. (mf)

Afropisaura rothiformis (Strand, 1908) | | Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Somalia, DR Congo, Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, Angola, South Africa urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:019501

Pisaura rothiformis Strand, 1908e: 278 (Dm) Original description

Pisaura rothiformis orientalis Strand, 1913a: 420 (Dm) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:061017]

Rothus faradjensis Lessert, 1928: 336, f. 21-22 (Dmf) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:061016]

Pisaura rothiformis Roewer, 1955b: 220, f. 84a-e (mf, S of Pisaura rothiformis orientalis)

Pisaura faradjensis Roewer, 1955b: 225, f. 86a-e (mf)

Afropisaura rothiformis Blandin, 1976c: 930, f. 20, 22, 25, 27 (mf, T from Pisaura, S of Pisaura faradjensis)

Afropisaura rothiformis Dippenaar-Schoeman et al., 2020q: 8, 7 f. (mf)

Afropisaura valida (Simon, 1886) | | West, Central Africa urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:019502 TYPE SPECIES

Pisaura valida Simon, 1886g: 354 (Df) Original description

Afropisaura valida Blandin, 1976c: 927, f. 16-17, 19, 21, 30-34 (Dm, f, T from Pisaura)

Afropisaura valida Sierwald, 1997: 381, f. 17-19, 25-26 (mf)