Woodlouse Hunter Spiders

The woodlouse hunting spider has got such name because woodlice are the primary food of the spider. Not all members of this family are well-researched, like the main species, Dysdera crocata also known as woodlouse hunter spider.

Woodlouse Hunter Spiders

Spiders Belonging to this Family

Physical Description and Identification

Adults

Size: Female spiders are 0.19-0.55 in (0.48-1.3 cm), and male spiders are smaller in shape.

Color: From reddish brown to maroon, such darks shades are common colors of their body. Females in some species have brown abdomens.

Other Characteristic Features: They have large chelicerae.

Eggs

A female woodlouse spider lays 70-100 eggs in its self-made silk sac.

Spiderlings

Spiderlings take some time to be independent, and during this phase, they rely on their mothers for nurturing and food. It takes one year or a little bit more to disperse.

The Web

The nocturnal spider does not make webs. Instead, they hunt during the night.

Are Woodlouse Hunters Venomous

Despite their bite being painful, it is hardly venomous for human skin. Irritation, redness, swelling, or any other allergic reaction might happen.

Quick Facts

Other NamesCell spiders, sowbug-eating spiders, and slater spider
DistributionThroughout the world
HabitatBurrows
DietBeetles and woodlice
Lifespan2-5 years

Did You Know

  • The family is first described in 1837, by Ludwig Carl Christian Koch, a German Arachnologist.