World Spider Catalog

Family | ACCEPTED

N.B.: considered a senior synonym of Acanthoctenidae by Lehtinen, 1967: 378; Lehtinen's inclusion of the Thalassiinae (Pisauridae) was rejected by Brignoli, 1983c: 585; considered polyphyletic by Griswold, 1993: 37); limits thoroughly discussed by Silva-Dávila, 2003; Cupiennius Simon, 1891 transferred to the Trechaleidae by Piacentini & Ramírez, 2019: 233, Mahafalytenus Silva-Dávila, 2007 transferred to the Viridasiidae by Azevedo et al., 2022: 12 and Ancylometes Bertkau, 1880 transferred to the Ancylometidae by Hazzi, Wood & Hormiga, 2025: 7; Hazzi, Wood & Hormiga, 2025: 7 list these subfamilies: Acantheinae Simon, 1897a: 115 (sub Acantheae), Acanthocteninae Simon, 1892, Calocteninae Simon, 1897a: 119 (sub Calocteneae), Cteninae and Enoplocteninae Hazzi, Wood & Hormiga, 2025.

Gen. Viracucha Lehtinen, 1967 urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidergen:01808

type Acanthoctenus andicola Simon, 1906; gender masculine

In synonymy:

Viracucha bahiensis (Strand, 1910, T from Acanthoctenus) = Viracucha paraguayensis (Strand, 1909) (Lehtinen, 1967: 274)

Viracucha andicola (Simon, 1906) | | Bolivia urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:020808 TYPE SPECIES

Acanthoctenus andicola Simon, 1906b: 291, f. 2D-E (Dmf) Original description

Acanthoctenus saraensis Strand, 1909i: 408 (m; misidentified per Lehtinen, 1967: 274)

Viracucha andicola Lehtinen, 1967: 274, f. 415-416, 421 (mf, T from Acanthoctenus)

Viracucha andicola Polotow & Brescovit, 2014: 345, f. 5A (m)

Viracucha birabeni (Carcavallo & Martínez, 1961) | | Argentina urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:019506

Corinoctenus birabeni Carcavallo & Martínez, 1961: 9, f. 3 (Df) Original description

Corinoctenus birabeni Schiapelli & Gerschman, 1970a: 168 (species inquirenda)

Ancylometes birabeni Brignoli, 1983c: 462

Viracucha birabeni Sherwood & Piacentini, 2025: 279, f. 1A-E, 2A-B (f, T from Ancylometes)

Viracucha exilis (Mello-Leitão, 1936) | | Brazil urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:020809

Acanthoctenus exilis Mello-Leitão, 1936c: 198 (Df; m f. 14-15 = Nothroctenus sp. per Lehtinen, 1967: 274) Original description

Viracucha exilis Lehtinen, 1967: 274 (T from Acanthoctenus)

Viracucha mammifer (Mello-Leitão, 1939) | | Brazil urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:020398

Acanthoctenus mammiferus Mello-Leitão, 1939f: 528, f. 11-13 (Df) Original description

Viracucha mammifer Arizala, Labarque & Polotow, 2021: 52 (T from Acanthoctenus)

Viracucha misionesicus (Mello-Leitão, 1945) | | Argentina urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:020810

Acanthoctenus misionesicus Mello-Leitão, 1945b: 256, f. 40 (Df) Original description

Viracucha misionesicus Lehtinen, 1967: 274 (T from Acanthoctenus)

Viracucha misionesicus Sherwood & Piacentini, 2025: 279, f. 3A-F (f)

Viracucha paraguayensis (Strand, 1909) | | Brazil, Paraguay urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:020811

Acanthoctenus paraguayensis Strand, 1909i: 406 (Df) Original description

Acanthoctenus bahiensis Strand, 1909i: 407 (Df) [urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:062506]

Viracucha paraguayensis Lehtinen, 1967: 274 (T from Acanthoctenus, S of Acanthoctenus bahiensis)

Viracucha ridleyi (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897) | | Brazil urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:020812

Acanthoctenus ridleyi F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897b: 103, pl. 4, f. 3e (Df) Original description

Acanthoctenus ridleyi Mello-Leitão, 1936c: 199, f. 17 (f)

Viracucha ridleyi Lehtinen, 1967: 274 (T from Acanthoctenus)

Viracucha silvicola (B. A. M. Soares & H. E. M. Soares, 1946) | | Brazil urn:lsid:nmbe.ch:spidersp:020813

Acanthoctenus silvicola Soares & Soares, 1946: 53, f. 1-2 (Df) Original description

Viracucha silvicola Lehtinen, 1967: 274 (T from Acanthoctenus)