See text The Gnaphosoidea or gnaphosoids are a superfamily of araneomorph spiders with seven families.

Gnaphosoidea has been circumscribed to contain the following families:[1] Gnaphosoidea has been placed in the Dionycha clade, itself part of the RTA clade:[2] basal clades other clades Gnaphosoidea Grate-shaped tapetum clade (including lycosoids) The Prodidomidae, Lamponidae and Gnaphosidae have been considered "higher gnaphosoids", sharing anterior lateral spinnerets consisting of only a single "joint" (article); the "lower gnaphosoids" (Ammoxenidae, Cithaeronidae, Gallieniellidae and Trochanteriidae) retain a distal article that is represented by an entire ring of hardened (sclerotized) cuticle.

[3] (Earlier the Lamponidae were grouped with the "lower gnaphosoids", having spinnerets of an intermediate kind.

[4]) One hypothesis for the internal phylogeny of the gnaphosoids, defined in this way, is:[2] Gallieniellidae Trochanteridae Cithaeronidae Ammoxenidae Lamponidae Gnaphosidae Prodidomidae A 2014 study of dionychan spiders did not recover Gnaphosoidea as a monophyletic group, instead finding "gnaphosoid" families other than Gnaphosidae and Prodidomidae to be part of a larger clade, mixed in with three other dionychan families, Liocranidae, Trachelidae and Phrurolithidae.

Forcing Gnaphosoidea to be monophyletic produced results described as "quite suboptimal".