Great woodlouse hunter
Great woodlouse hunter | ||||||||||||
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Dysdera crocata |
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Systematics | ||||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||||
Dysdera crocata | ||||||||||||
CL Koch , 1838 |
The large woodlouse hunter ( Dysdera crocata ) is a real spider from the family of six-eye spiders . As with all spiders in the family, the eyes of Dysdera crocata are dense, almost circular, on the forehead. The opisthosoma has no dark spots.
Appearance
The body length is 11–15 mm in the female and 9–10 mm in the smaller male, whereby the very large chelicerae are not measured. The prosoma of this spider is dark red and the opisthosoma is greyish or yellowish in color. The chelicerae are longer than half the front body and therefore remarkably large. Dysdera crocata is very similar to Dysdera erythrina . The two types differ e.g. B. in size, with Dysdera crocata becoming larger and having longer chelicerae. The spider also looks similar to Harpactea rubicunda . In contrast to this, the chelicerae are larger and the upper part of the chelicerae is directed a little forward.
distribution and habitat
Dysdera crocata loves warmth and is often found in buildings, damp basements and greenhouses. It is common in Central Europe, but rather rare. In contrast, it is common in the Mediterranean region.
Way of life
During the day, the nocturnal spider hides in a firm webbing sack, usually under stones. It mainly feeds on woodlice , which other spiders avoid. Since the chelicerae are greatly elongated, they can grip the back plates of the woodlice and thus attach their venomous bite. It also prey on other spiders.
Bites
If the spider is touched and feels threatened, it can also bite humans with its long poisonous claws. The bite can be painful, but the poison is harmless to humans and does not cause any health problems. Local itching has been reported in some cases.
Web links
- Dysdera crocata in the World Spider Catalog
- Dysdera crocata at wiki.spinnen-forum.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Heiko Bellmann: The cosmos spider guide - over 400 species in Europe . 1st edition. Franckh-Kosmos Verlag, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 978-3-440-10114-8 .
- ^ Dysdera crocata CL Koch, 1838.
- ↑ RS Vetter, GK Isbister: Verified bites by the woodlouse spider, Dysdera crocata . In: Toxicon . 47, No. 7, 2006, pp. 826-829. doi : 10.1016 / j.toxicon.2006.02.002 . PMID 16574180 .