Dysderidae, also known as woodlouse hunters, sowbug-eating spiders, and cell spiders, is a family of

araneomorph The Araneomorphae (also called the Labidognatha) are an infraorder of spiders. They are distinguishable by chelicerae (fangs) that point diagonally forward and cross in a pinching action, in contrast to the Mygalomorphae (tarantulas and their ...

spider Spiders ( order Araneae) are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species ...

s first described by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1837. They are found primarily in

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago ...

, extending into

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

with very few species occurring in South America. ''

Dysdera crocata ''Dysdera'' is a genus of woodlouse hunting spiders that was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804. They originated from Central Asia to Central Europe. The family has gained many common names from their individual species, includi ...

'' is introduced into many regions of the world. Dysderids have six eyes, and are

haplogyne The Haplogynae or haplogynes are one of the two main groups into which araneomorph spiders have traditionally been divided, the other being the Entelegynae. Morphological phylogenetic studies suggested that the Haplogynae formed a clade; more rece ...

, i.e. the females lack a sclerotized

epigyne The epigyne or epigynum is the external genital structure of female spiders. As the epigyne varies greatly in form in different species, even in closely related ones, it often provides the most distinctive characteristic for recognizing species. ...

. There is a substantial number of genera, but two of them, ''Dysdera'' and ''Harpactea'', account for a very large number of the species and are widespread across the family's range. One species, ''Dysdera crocata'' (the woodlouse hunter), has been transported over much of the planet together with its preferred foods—

woodlice A woodlouse (plural woodlice) is an isopod crustacean from the polyphyleticThe current consensus is that Oniscidea is actually triphyletic suborder Oniscidea within the order Isopoda. They get their name from often being found in old wood ...

. ''Dysdera'' also feeds on

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s. These spiders have very large

chelicerae The chelicerae () are the mouthparts of the subphylum Chelicerata, an arthropod group that includes arachnids, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. Commonly referred to as " jaws", chelicerae may be shaped as either articulated fangs, or similarl ...

, which they use to pierce the armored bodies of woodlice and beetles. There are also some reports that they have a mildly toxic

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...

that can cause local reactions in humans. The spiders have their six eyes arranged in a semicircle like segestrids, but have only the first two pairs of legs produced forward. ''Dysdera crocata'' has a characteristic coloring, which can only be confused with spiders in the trachelid genera '' Trachelas'' and '' Meriola'': the carapace is dull red-brown and the abdomen gray or tan.

Genera

The categorization into subfamilies follows Joel Hallan'
Biology Catalog
, the

World Spider Catalog The World Spider Catalog (WSC) is an online searchable database concerned with spider taxonomy. It aims to list all accepted families, genera and species, as well as provide access to the related taxonomic literature. The WSC began as a series of ...

accepts the following genera: * Dysderinae C. L. Koch, 1837 ** '' Cryptoparachtes'' Dunin, 1992 (Georgia, Azerbaijan) ** ''

Dysdera ''Dysdera'' is a genus of woodlouse hunting spiders that was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804. They originated from Central Asia to Central Europe. The family has gained many common names from their individual species, includi ...

'' Latreille, 1804 (worldwide) ** '' Dysderella'' Dunin, 1992 (Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan)) ** '' Dysderocrates'' Deeleman-Reinhold & Deeleman, 1988 (Balkans) ** '' Harpactocrates'' Simon, 1914 (Europe) ** '' Hygrocrates'' Deeleman-Reinhold, 1988 (Georgia, Turkey) ** '' Parachtes'' Alicata, 1964 (Southern Europe) ** '' Rhodera'' Deeleman-Reinhold, 1989 (Crete) ** '' Stalitochara'' Simon, 1913 (Algeria) ** '' Tedia'' Simon, 1882 (Israel, Syria) * Harpacteinae ** '' Dasumia'' Thorell, 1875 (Europe, Middle East) ** '' Folkia'' Kratochvíl, 1970 (Balkans) ** '' Harpactea'' Bristowe, 1939 (Europe to Iran, Mediterranean) ** '' Holissus'' Simon, 1882 (Corsica) ** '' Kaemis'' Deeleman-Reinhold, 1993 (Italy) ** '' Minotauria'' Kulczyn'ski, 1903 (Crete) ** '' Sardostalita'' Gasparo, 1999 (Sardinia) ** '' Stalagtia'' Kratochvíl, 1970 (Balkans, Greece) * Rhodinae ** '' Mesostalita'' Deeleman-Reinhold, 1971 (Balkans, Italy) ** '' Parastalita'' Absolon & Kratochvíl, 1932 (Bosnia-Herzegovina) ** '' Rhode'' Simon, 1882 (Mediterranean) ** '' Speleoharpactea'' Ribera, 1982 (Spain) ** '' Stalita'' Schiödte, 1847 (Balkans) ** '' Stalitella'' Absolon & Kratochvíl, 1932 (Balkans) * ''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...

'' ** '' Thereola'' Petrunkevitch, 1955 † (fossil, Oligocene) :** '' Thereola petiolata'' (Koch & Berendt, 1854) †

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10063 Araneomorphae families Taxa named by Carl Ludwig Koch

Genera

See also

References

External links