What is the genus of the Brazilian wandering spider?

The Brazilian wandering spider belongs to the genus Phoneutria. Phoneutria is a group of large, nocturnal hunting spiders in the family Ctenidae, commonly called wandering spiders because they roam rather than rely on capture webs.

The genus was established by German naturalist Maximilian Perty in 1833. Its name comes from the Greek word phoneutria, meaning “murderess,” reflecting the spiders’ intimidating reputation. Several Phoneutria species occur in Brazil, while the genus as a whole ranges through much of tropical South America and reaches Central America.

Phoneutria spiders hide during the day under logs, rocks, in termite mounds, or among plants, then hunt at night. Their defensive posture—raising the front legs and sometimes swaying—helps distinguish them from similar-looking ctenids. The nickname “banana spider” is misleading: many unrelated spiders share it, and cargo surveys show that Phoneutria are only a small minority of spiders found in banana shipments.