''Ctenus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of wandering spiders first described by

Charles Athanase Walckenaer Baron Charles Athanase Walckenaer (25 December 1771 – 28 April 1852) was a French civil servant and scientist. Biography Walckenaer was born in Paris and studied at the universities of University of Oxford, Oxford and University of Glasgow ...

in 1805. It is widely distributed, from South America through Africa to East Asia. Little is known about the toxic potential of the genus ''Ctenus''; however, '' Ctenus medius'' has been shown to share some toxic properties with '' Phoneutria nigriventer'', such as

proteolytic Proteolysis is the breakdown of proteins into smaller polypeptides or amino acids. Uncatalysed, the hydrolysis of peptide bonds is extremely slow, taking hundreds of years. Proteolysis is typically catalysed by cellular enzymes called proteases, ...

, hyaluronidase and phospholipase activities, in addition to producing hyperalgesia and

edema Edema, also spelled oedema, and also known as fluid retention, dropsy, hydropsy and swelling, is the build-up of fluid in the body's Tissue (biology), tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin which feels t ...

. The venom of ''C. medius'' also interferes with the

complement system The complement system, also known as complement cascade, is a part of the immune system that enhances (complements) the ability of antibodies and phagocytic cells to clear microbes and damaged cells from an organism, promote inflammation, and at ...

in concentrations in which the venom of ''P. nigriventer'' is inactive, indicating that some species in the genus may have a medically significant venom. The venom of ''C. medius'' interferes with the

complement component 3 Complement component 3, often simply called C3, is a protein of the immune system. It plays a central role in the complement system and contributes to innate immunity. In humans it is encoded on chromosome 19 by a gene called ''C3''. Function C ...

(C3) of the complement system; it affects the central factor of the cascades of the complement, and interferes with the lytic activity of this system, which causes stronger activation and consumption of the complement components. Unlike ''C. medius'', the venom of ''P. nigriventer'' does not interfere with lytic activity.

Species

it contains 157 species: *'' C. abditus'' Arts, 1912 – Congo, Tanzania *'' C. adustus'' ( Keyserling, 1877) – Colombia *'' C. agroecoides'' ( Thorell, 1881) – Australia (Queensland) *'' C. albofasciatus'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897 – Brazil *'' C. alienus'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 – Guatemala *'' C. amanensis'' Strand, 1907 – East Africa *'' C. amphora'' Mello-Leitão, 1930 – Colombia, Brazil, Guyana *'' C. anahitaeformis'' Benoit, 1981 – Burundi *'' C. anahitiformis'' Strand, 1909 – Brazil *'' C. auricomus'' Arts, 1912 – Central, East Africa *'' C. avidus'' Bryant, 1948 – Hispaniola *'' C. bahamensis'' Strand, 1907 – Bahama Is. *'' C. bicolor'' ( Bertkau, 1880) – Brazil *'' C. bigibbosus'' Benoit, 1980 – Congo *'' C. bilobatus'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 – Mexico *'' C. blumenauensis'' Strand, 1909 – Brazil *'' C. bolivicola'' Strand, 1907 – Bolivia *'' C. bueanus'' Strand, 1916 – Cameroon *'' C. calcaratus'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 – Guatemala *'' C. calderitas'' Alayón, 2002 – Mexico *'' C. caligineus'' Arts, 1912 – Central, East Africa *'' C. captiosus''

Gertsch Willis John Gertsch (October 4, 1906 – December 12, 1998) was an American arachnologist. He described over 1,000 species of spiders, scorpions, and other arachnids, including the Brown recluse spider and the Tooth cave spider. Gertsch was born ...

, 1935 – USA *'' C. capulinus'' ( Karsch, 1879) – West, Central Africa *'' C. catherine'' Polotow & Brescovit, 2012 – Jamaica *'' C. cavaticus'' Arts, 1912 – Congo, Angola *'' C. celisi'' Benoit, 1981 – Congo *'' C. coccineipes'' Pocock, 1903 – West, Central Africa *'' C. colombianus'' Mello-Leitão, 1941 – Colombia *'' C. colonicus'' Arts, 1912 – East Africa *'' C. complicatus'' Franganillo, 1946 – Cuba *'' C. constrictus'' Benoit, 1981 – Congo *'' C. convexus'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 – Mexico to Costa Rica *'' C. cruciatus'' Franganillo, 1930 – Cuba *'' C. crulsi'' Mello-Leitão, 1930 – Brazil *'' C. darlingtoni'' Bryant, 1948 – Hispaniola *'' C. datus'' Strand, 1909 – Ecuador *'' C. decemnotatus'' Simon, 1910 – Guinea-Bissau *'' C. decorus'' ( Gerstäcker, 1873) – East Africa *'' C. delesserti'' ( Caporiacco, 1947) – Guyana *'' C. denticulatus'' Benoit, 1981 – Congo *'' C. dilucidus'' Simon, 1910 – Congo *'' C. doloensis'' Caporiacco, 1940 – Ethiopia *'' C. drassoides'' (Karsch, 1879) – Colombia *'' C. dreyeri'' Strand, 1906 – Cameroon *'' C. dubius'' Walckenaer, 1805 (

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

) – French Guiana *'' C. efferatus'' Arts, 1912 – Congo *'' C. elgonensis'' Benoit, 1978 – Kenya *'' C. ellacomei'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902 – Suriname *'' C. embolus'' Benoit, 1981 – Congo *'' C. ensiger'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 – Mexico *'' C. esculentus'' Arts, 1912 – Cameroon, Congo *'' C. excavatus'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 – Mexico *'' C. exlineae'' Peck, 1981 – USA *'' C. facetus'' Arts, 1912 – Congo, East Africa *'' C. falcatus'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1902 – St. Lucia *'' C. falciformis'' Benoit, 1981 – Congo *'' C. falconensis'' Schenkel, 1953 – Venezuela *'' C. fasciatus'' Mello-Leitão, 1943 – Brazil *'' C. fernandae'' Brescovit & Simó, 2007 – Brazil *'' C. feshius'' Benoit, 1979 – Congo *'' C. guantanamo'' (Alayón, 2001) – Cuba *'' C. gulosus'' Arts, 1912 – South Africa *'' C. haina'' Alayón, 2004 – Hispaniola *'' C. haitiensis'' Strand, 1909 – Hispaniola *'' C. hibernalis'' Hentz, 1844 – USA *'' C. hiemalis'' Bryant, 1948 – Hispaniola *'' C. holmi'' Benoit, 1978 – Kenya *'' C. humilis'' (Keyserling, 1887) – Nicaragua *'' C. hygrophilus'' Benoit, 1977 – Congo *'' C. idjwiensis'' Benoit, 1979 – Congo *'' C. igatu'' Polotow, Cizauskas & Brescovit, 2022 – Brazil *'' C. inaja'' Höfer, Brescovit & Gasnier, 1994 – Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil *'' C. insulanus'' Bryant, 1948 – Hispaniola *'' C. jaminauensis'' Mello-Leitão, 1936 – Brazil *'' C. jaragua'' Alayón, 2004 – Hispaniola *'' C. kenyamontanus'' Benoit, 1978 – Kenya *'' C. kipatimus'' Benoit, 1981 – Tanzania *'' C. lacertus'' Benoit, 1979 – Congo *'' C. latitabundus'' Arts, 1912 – Central, East Africa *'' C. lejeunei'' Benoit, 1977 – Congo *'' C. leonardi'' Simon, 1910 – West Africa *'' C. levipes'' Arts, 1912 – Tanzania *'' C. longicalcar'' Kraus, 1955 – El Salvador *'' C. lubwensis'' Benoit, 1979 – Congo *'' C. macellarius'' Simon, 1910 – Congo *'' C. maculatus'' Franganillo, 1931 – Cuba *'' C. maculisternis'' Strand, 1909 – Bolivia, Brazil *'' C. magnificus'' Arts, 1912 – West Africa *'' C. malvernensis'' Petrunkevitch, 1910 – Jamaica *'' C. manauara'' Höfer, Brescovit & Gasnier, 1994 – Brazil *'' C. manni'' Bryant, 1948 – Hispaniola *'' C. medius'' Keyserling, 1891 – Panama, Brazil *'' C. minimus'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897 – North America *'' C. minor'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897 – Brazil *'' C. mitchelli'' Gertsch, 1971 – Mexico *'' C. modestus'' Simon, 1897 – Tanzania (Zanzibar, Kenya) *'' C. monticola'' Bryant, 1948 – Hispaniola *'' C. musosanus'' Benoit, 1979 – Congo *'' C. naranjo'' Alayón, 2004 – Hispaniola *'' C. nigritarsis'' (Pavesi, 1897) – Ethiopia *'' C. nigritus'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897 – Brazil *'' C. nigrolineatus'' Berland, 1913 – Ecuador *'' C. nigromaculatus'' Thorell, 1899 – Central, West Africa *'' C. noctuabundus'' Arts, 1912 – Kenya *'' C. obscurus'' (Keyserling, 1877) – Colombia *'' C. oligochronius'' Arts, 1912 – East Africa *'' C. ornatus'' (Keyserling, 1877) – Brazil *'' C. ottleyi'' (Petrunkevitch, 1930) – Puerto Rico *'' C. paranus'' Strand, 1909 – Brazil *'' C. parvoculatus'' Benoit, 1979 – South Africa *'' C. parvus'' (Keyserling, 1877) – Colombia *'' C. paubrasil'' Brescovit & Simó, 2007 – Brazil *'' C. pauloterrai'' Brescovit & Simó, 2007 – Brazil *'' C. peregrinus'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 – Guatemala, Costa Rica *'' C. pilosus'' Franganillo, 1930 – Cuba *'' C. pogonias'' Thorell, 1899 – Cameroon *'' C. potteri'' Simon, 1901 – Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea (Bioko) *'' C. pulchriventris'' (Simon, 1897) – Zimbabwe, South Africa *'' C. racenisi'' Caporiacco, 1955 – Venezuela *'' C. ramosi'' Alayón, 2002 – Cuba *'' C. ravidus'' (Simon, 1886) – Argentina *'' C. rectipes'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897 – Brazil, Guyana *'' C. renivulvatus'' Strand, 1906 – Ghana *'' C. rivulatus'' Pocock, 1900 – Cameroon, Gabon *'' C. rubripes'' Keyserling, 1881 – Panama, Ecuador *'' C. rwandanus'' Benoit, 1981 – Rwanda *'' C. saltensis'' Strand, 1909 – Argentina, Bolivia *'' C. satanas'' Strand, 1909 – Ecuador *'' C. serratipes'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897 – Venezuela, Guyana, Brazil *'' C. serrichelis'' Mello-Leitão, 1922 – Brazil *'' C. sexmaculatus'' Roewer, 1961 – Senegal *'' C. siankaan'' Alayón, 2002 – Mexico *'' C. sigma'' (Schenkel, 1953) – Venezuela *'' C. silvaticus'' Benoit, 1981 – Congo *'' C. similis'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897 – Brazil *'' C. somaliensis'' Benoit, 1979 – Somalia *'' C. spectabilis'' Lessert, 1921 – DR Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa *'' C. spiculus'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897 – Colombia *'' C. spiralis'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 – Costa Rica *'' C. supinus'' F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900 – Costa Rica *'' C. tenuipes'' Denis, 1955 – Guinea *'' C. torvus'' Pavesi, 1883 – Ethiopia *'' C. transvaalensis'' Benoit, 1981 – South Africa *'' C. trinidensis'' (Alayón, 2001) – Trinidad *'' C. uluguruensis'' Benoit, 1979 – Tanzania *'' C. undulatus'' Steyn & Van der Donckt, 2003 – Ivory Coast *'' C. unilineatus'' Simon, 1898 – St. Vincent *'' C. vagus'' Blackwall, 1866 – West Africa *'' C. validus'' Denis, 1955 – Guinea *'' C. valverdiensis'' Peck, 1981 – USA *'' C. vatovae'' Caporiacco, 1940 – Ethiopia *'' C. vehemens'' Keyserling, 1891 – Brazil *'' C. vespertilio'' Mello-Leitão, 1941 – Colombia *'' C. villasboasi'' Mello-Leitão, 1949 – Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil *'' C. vividus'' Blackwall, 1865 – Central Africa *'' C. w-notatus'' Petrunkevitch, 1925 – Panama *'' C. walckenaeri'' Griffith, 1833 – possibly South America

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q609703 Araneomorphae genera Cosmopolitan spiders Ctenidae Taxa named by Charles Athanase Walckenaer