Ero
Encyclopedia
Ero is a genus
of pirate spider
s in the family Mimetidae
.
, due to their globular abdomen which is higher than it is long. The upper side of this bears one or two pairs of conical tubercles and some curved bristle-like hairs. The anterior medial eyes project on small tubercles. Leg 1 is nearly twice as long as leg 4. The egg sacks are very characteristic being elongated globes about four millimetres in diameter, suspended on a silken thread from vegetation. They are made from an inner layer of yellowish brown silk
and an outer layer of dark coloured, loosely woven silk which gives the sack a woolly appearance. The sacks are not guarded by the female and when the juveniles hatch, so they have to fend for themselves. Since Ero species are nocturnal, the adults are not often seen and the egg sacks often reveal their presence before specimens are found.
s. It then retreats and the prey
spider quickly becomes paralysed
. The attacker then advances and starts to feed, sucking out the body fluids of its victim.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of pirate spider
Pirate spider
The family Mimetidae, commonly called pirate spiders, are spiders which typically feed on other spiders.The family Mimetidae contains roughly 200 species divided among 12 genera, of which Mimetus and Ero are the most common. Mimetids are usually yellow and brown and are usually 3 to 7 mm long...
s in the family Mimetidae
Pirate spider
The family Mimetidae, commonly called pirate spiders, are spiders which typically feed on other spiders.The family Mimetidae contains roughly 200 species divided among 12 genera, of which Mimetus and Ero are the most common. Mimetids are usually yellow and brown and are usually 3 to 7 mm long...
.
Description
Members of this genus resemble the comb-footed spiders, TheridiidaeTheridiidae
Theridiidae is a large family of spiders, also known as the tangle-web spiders, cobweb spiders and comb-footed spiders. The diverse family includes over 2200 species in over 100 genera) of three-dimensional space-web-builders found throughout the world...
, due to their globular abdomen which is higher than it is long. The upper side of this bears one or two pairs of conical tubercles and some curved bristle-like hairs. The anterior medial eyes project on small tubercles. Leg 1 is nearly twice as long as leg 4. The egg sacks are very characteristic being elongated globes about four millimetres in diameter, suspended on a silken thread from vegetation. They are made from an inner layer of yellowish brown silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
and an outer layer of dark coloured, loosely woven silk which gives the sack a woolly appearance. The sacks are not guarded by the female and when the juveniles hatch, so they have to fend for themselves. Since Ero species are nocturnal, the adults are not often seen and the egg sacks often reveal their presence before specimens are found.
Feeding behaviour
Spiders in this genus are specialised spider killers. An individual will attack a potential victim by biting one of its legs and injecting toxinToxin
A toxin is a poisonous substance produced within living cells or organisms; man-made substances created by artificial processes are thus excluded...
s. It then retreats and the prey
Predation
In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey . Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption...
spider quickly becomes paralysed
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
. The attacker then advances and starts to feed, sucking out the body fluids of its victim.
Species
The World Spider Catalog lists these species:- Ero aphanaEro aphanaEro aphana is a species of pirate spider in the Mimetidae family. It is a hunting spider and feeds on other spiders.-Distribution:This spider has a palearctic distribution and is found in Western Europe, most commonly in Belgium, Germany, France and the United Kingdom...
(Walckenaer, 1802) — Palearctic (St. Helena, Queensland, Western Australia, introduced) - Ero cachinnans Brignoli, 1978 — Bhutan
- Ero cambridgei Kulczynski, 1911 — Palearctic
- Ero canala Wang, 1990 — China
- Ero canionis Chamberlin & Ivie, 1935 — USA
- Ero capensis Simon, 1895 — South Africa
- Ero catharinae Keyserling, 1886 — Brazil
- Ero comorensis Emerit, 1996 — Comoro Islands, Seychelles
- Ero eburnea Thaler, 2004 — Ivory Coast
- Ero felix Thaler & van Harten, 2004 — Yemen
- Ero flammeola Simon, 1881 — Portugal to Corfu, Canary Islands
- Ero furcata (Villers, 1789) — Palearctic
- Ero furuncula Simon, 1909 — Vietnam
- Ero galea Wang, 1990 — China
- Ero gemelosi Baert & Maelfait, 1984 — Galapagos Islands
- Ero goeldii Keyserling, 1891 — Brazil
- Ero gracilis Keyserling, 1891 — Brazil
- Ero humilithorax Keyserling, 1886 — Brazil
- Ero japonica Bösenberg & Strand, 1906 — Russia, China, Korea, Japan
- Ero juhuaensis Xu, Wang & Wang, 1987 — China
- Ero kompirensis Strand, 1918 — Japan
- Ero koreana Paik, 1967 — Russia, China, Korea, Japan
- Ero lata Keyserling, 1891 — Brazil
- Ero lawrencei Unzicker, 1966 — South Africa
- Ero leonina (Hentz, 1850) — USA
- Ero lodingi Archer, 1941 — USA
- Ero lokobeana Emerit, 1996 — Madagascar
- Ero madagascariensis Emerit, 1996 — Madagascar
- Ero melanostoma Mello-Leitão, 1929 — Brazil
- Ero pensacolae Ivie & Barrows, 1935 — USA
- Ero quadrituberculata Kulczynski, 1905 — Madeira
- Ero salittana Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 — Philippines
- Ero spinifrons Mello-Leitão, 1929 — Brazil
- Ero spinipes (Nicolet, 1849) — Chile, Argentina
- Ero tuberculata (De Geer, 1778) — Palearctic
- Ero valida Keyserling, 1891 — Brazil