The Dysderidae, also known as woodlouse hunters, sowbug-eating spiders, and cell spiders, are a family of araneomorph spiders first described by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1837. They are found primarily in Eurasia, extending into North Africa with very few species occurring in South America. Dysdera crocata is introduced into many regions of the world.
Dysderids generally 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 beetles. These spiders have very large chelicerae. Their long fangs are specialized to reach under or slip between the armored plates of woodlice to deliver venom to their softer tissue. There are also some reports that they have a mildly toxic venom 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's Biology Catalog.
, this family includes 24 genera and 665 species:
Dysderinae C. L. Koch, 1837 Cryptoparachtes Dunin, 1992 – Azerbaijan, Georgia Dysdera Latreille, 1804 – Africa, Asia, Europe, Colombia, French Guiana. Introduced to South Africa, St. Helena, Croatia, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Chile Dysderella Dunin, 1992 (Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan)) Dysderocrates Deeleman-Reinhold & Deeleman, 1988 – Turkey, Europe Harpactocrates Simon, 1914 – Georgia, Italy, Spain, France Hygrocrates Deeleman-Reinhold, 1988 – Georgia, Turkey, Greece Kut Kunt, Elverici, Yağmur & Özkütük, 2019 – Turkey Parachtes Alicata, 1964 – Italy, Spain, France Rhodera Deeleman-Reinhold, 1989 – Crete Stalitochara Simon, 1913 – Algeria Tedia Simon, 1882 – Israel, Syria Harpacteinae Dasumia Thorell, 1875 – Israel, Syria, Turkey, Europe, Balkans Folkia Kratochvíl, 1970 – Southern Europe Harpactea Bristowe, 1939 – Algeria, Tunisia, Asia, Europe to Ukraine Holissus Simon, 1882 – Corsica Kaemis Deeleman-Reinhold, 1993 – Southern Europe Minotauria Kulczyński, 1903 – Crete Sardostalita Gasparo, 1999 – Sardinia Stalagtia Kratochvíl, 1970 – Turkey, Southern Europe Rhodinae Mesostalita Deeleman-Reinhold, 1971 – Southern Europe Parastalita Absolon & Kratochvíl, 1932 – Bosnia and Herzegovina Rhode Simon, 1882 – Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Europe Speleoharpactea Ribera, 1982 – Spain Stalita Schiødte, 1847 – Croatia, Italy, Slovenia Stalitella Absolon & Kratochvíl, 1933 – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro incertae sedis Thereola Petrunkevitch, 1955 † (fossil, Oligocene) Thereola petiolata (Koch & Berendt, 1854) †
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