Dysderidae
Encyclopedia
The family Dysderidae are araneomorph
spider
s found primarily in Eurasia
, although extending into North Africa
, with very few species occurring in South America, and one (Dysdera crocata) introduced into many regions of the world.
Dysderids have six eyes, and are haplogyne, i.e. the females lack a sclerotized
epigyne
. 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
. Dysdera also feeds on beetle
s. These spiders have very large chelicerae
, which they use to pierce the armored bodies of woodlice and beetles. There are also some reports that they have a mildly toxic venom that can cause local reactions in humans; with their huge fangs there is little doubt that they could bite if threatened, but the venom has not been well studied. It is probably wise not to handle these spiders.
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 corinnid genera Trachelas and Meriola
: the carapace is dull red-brown and the abdomen gray or tan. The "two-tone" look, with the abdomen
much lighter than the cephalothorax
, is quite striking.
These rather large, burly-looking, slow-moving spiders are often seen in the autumn in basements and other cool areas of homes; presumably they are looking for a winter shelter.
Araneomorphae
The Araneomorphae are a suborder of spiders. They are distinguished by having fangs that oppose each other and cross in a pinching action, in contrast to the Mygalomorphae , which have fangs that are nearly parallel in alignment.- Distinguishing characteristics :Note the difference in the...
spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s found primarily in Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
, although extending into North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, with very few species occurring in South America, and one (Dysdera crocata) introduced into many regions of the world.
Dysderids have six eyes, and are haplogyne, i.e. the females lack a sclerotized
Sclerosis (medicine)
In medicine, sclerosis refers to the stiffening of a structure, usually caused by a replacement of the normal organ-specific tissue with connective tissue.Types include:...
epigyne
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
Woodlouse
A woodlouse is a crustacean with a rigid, segmented, long exoskeleton and fourteen jointed limbs...
. Dysdera also feeds on beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
s. These spiders have very large chelicerae
Chelicerae
The chelicerae are mouthparts of the Chelicerata, an arthropod subphylum that includes arachnids, Merostomata , and Pycnogonida . Chelicerae are pointed appendages which are used to grasp food, and are found in place of the chewing mandibles most other arthropods have...
, which they use to pierce the armored bodies of woodlice and beetles. There are also some reports that they have a mildly toxic venom that can cause local reactions in humans; with their huge fangs there is little doubt that they could bite if threatened, but the venom has not been well studied. It is probably wise not to handle these spiders.
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 corinnid genera Trachelas and Meriola
Meriola
Meriola is a genus of crabs in the family Xanthidae, containing the following species:* Meriola acutidens * Meriola corallina Takeda & Marumura, 1997* Meriola rufomaculata Davie, 1992...
: the carapace is dull red-brown and the abdomen gray or tan. The "two-tone" look, with the abdomen
Abdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
much lighter than the cephalothorax
Cephalothorax
The cephalothorax is a tagma of various arthropods, comprising the head and the thorax fused together, as distinct from the abdomen behind. The word cephalothorax is derived from the Greek words for head and thorax...
, is quite striking.
These rather large, burly-looking, slow-moving spiders are often seen in the autumn in basements and other cool areas of homes; presumably they are looking for a winter shelter.
Genera
The categorization into subfamilies follows Joel Hallan's Biology Catalog.- Dysderinae C. L. Koch, 1837
- Cryptoparachtes Dunin, 1992 (Georgia, Azerbaijan)
- DysderaDysderaDysdera is a genus of spiders from the family Dysderidae, with more than 200 species. They occur mostly in Eurasia from Central Asia to Spain, extending into northern Africa . However, at least two species occur in South America Dysdera is a genus of spiders from the family Dysderidae, with more...
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)
- HarpacteaHarpacteaHarpactea is a genus of spiders from the family Dysderidae, with more than 150 described species.Harpactea species are non-web building predators that forage on the ground and on tree trunks at night, mainly in xerothermic forests...
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 sedisIncertae sedis, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...
- Thereola Petrunkevitch, 1955 † (fossil, oligoceneOligoceneThe Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present . As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period are well identified but the exact dates of the start and end of the period are slightly...
)
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- Thereola petiolata (Koch & Berendt, 1854) †
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