Woodlouse Spider

Description: Medium-sized spider. It has an intense red-colored cephalothorax, orange legs, and a whitish abdomen. A notable feature is the large chelicerae, which can be seen with the naked eye. They can produce a painful bite if handled but do not possess venom dangerous to humans.

Sexual Dimorphism: Slightly noticeable, males have longer legs and a smaller abdomen compared to females. The male pedipalps are long, and the reproductive structures are quite noticeable.

Habitat: Under logs, rocks, or other objects on the ground, primarily in wooded areas. Common in urban gardens.

Geographical Distribution: Native species from Europe, now has a cosmopolitan distribution as a result of unintentional human introduction. Abundant in the city of Buenos Aires and surrounding areas.

Behavior: Nocturnal, they take refuge during the day in a silk sack they create under an object on the ground. At night, they emerge from their shelters to hunt. They are active hunters that do not build webs or use silk to capture prey. They capture their food using their chelicerae.

Feeding: They feed exclusively on terrestrial isopods (pill bugs), which they capture using their long, curved chelicerae to pierce the soft parts of their prey´s abdomen.

Author of this description: Nicolás Olejnik