Wandering spiders (Ctenidae) are a family of spiders that includes the Brazilian wandering spiders. These spiders have a distinctive longitudinal groove on the top-rear of their oval carapace similar to those of the Amaurobiidae. They are highly defensive and venomous nocturnal hunters. Despite their notoriety for being dangerous, only a few members of Phoneutria have venom known to be hazardous to humans, but the venoms of this family are poorly known, so all larger ctenids should be treated with caution.

, the World Spider Catalog accepts the following genera: - Acantheis Thorell, 1891 — Asia - Acanthoctenus Keyserling, 1877 — South America, Central America, Jamaica, Mexico - Africactenus Hyatt, 1954 — Africa, India - Afroneutria Polotow & Jocqué, 2015 — Africa - Amauropelma Raven, Stumkat & Gray, 2001 — Asia, Australia - Amicactenus Henrard & Jocqué, 2017 — Africa - Anahita Karsch, 1879 — Africa, Asia, United States - Ancylometes Bertkau, 1880 — South America, Honduras - Apolania Simon, 1898 — Seychelles - Arctenus Polotow & Jocqué, 2014 — Kenya - Asthenoctenus Simon, 1897 — South America - Bengalla Gray & Thompson, 2001 — Australia - Bulboctenus Pereira, Labarque & Polotow, 2020 — Brazil - Califorctenus Jiménez, Berrian, Polotow & Palacios-Cardiel, 2017 - Caloctenus Keyserling, 1877 — Ethiopia, South America - Celaetycheus Simon, 1897 — Brazil - Centroctenus Mello-Leitão, 1929 — South America - Chococtenus Dupérré, 2015 — Ecuador, Colombia - Ciba Bloom, Binford, Esposito, Alayón, Peterson, Nishida, Loubet-Senear & Agnarsson, 2014 — Cuba, Dominican Republic - Ctenus Walckenaer, 1805 — Africa, South America, Oceania, Central America, Asia, North America, Caribbean - Diallomus Simon, 1897 — Sri Lanka - Enoploctenus Simon, 1897 — South America, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Gephyroctenus Mello-Leitão, 1936 — Brazil, Peru - Isoctenus Bertkau, 1880 — Brazil, Argentina - Janusia Gray, 1973 — Australia - Kiekie Polotow & Brescovit, 2018 — Colombia, Central America, Mexico - Leptoctenus L. Koch, 1878 — Australia, North America, Panama - Macroctenus Henrard & Jocqué, 2017 — Guinea - Mahafalytenus Silva-Dávila, 2007 — Madagascar - Montescueia Carcavallo & Martínez, 1961 — Argentina - Nimbanahita Henrard & Jocqué, 2017 — Guinea - Nothroctenus Badcock, 1932 — Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay - Ohvida Polotow & Brescovit, 2009 — Cuba - Parabatinga Polotow & Brescovit, 2009 — South America - Perictenus Henrard & Jocqué, 2017 — Guinea - Petaloctenus Jocqué & Steyn, 1997 — Africa - Phoneutria Perty, 1833 — South America - Phymatoctenus Simon, 1897 — Brazil, Guyana, Costa Rica - Piloctenus Henrard & Jocqué, 2017 — Guinea, Togo, Ivory Coast - Sinoctenus Marusik, Zhang & Omelko, 2012 - Spinoctenus Hazzi, Polotow, Brescovit, González-Obando & Simó, 2018 - Thoriosa Simon, 1910 — São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea - Toca Polotow & Brescovit, 2009 — Brazil - Trogloctenus Lessert, 1935 — Congo - Trujillina Bryant, 1948 — Caribbean - Tuticanus Simon, 1897 — Ecuador, Peru - Viracucha Lehtinen, 1967 — South America - Wiedenmeyeria Schenkel, 1953 — Venezuela