Ant spider

Ant spiders
Temporal range:
Female Mallinella fulvipes
Caesetius sp.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Opisthothelae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Zodariidae
Thorell, 1881[1]
Diversity[2]
90 genera, 1,325 species
blue: reported countries (WSC)
green: observation hotspots (iNaturalist)

Ant spiders are members of the family Zodariidae. They are small to medium-sized eight-eyed spiders found in all tropical and subtropical regions of South America, Africa, Madagascar, Australia-New Guinea, New Zealand, Arabia, and the Indian subcontinent.[3]

Most species are daytime hunters and live together with ants, mimicking their behavior and sometimes even their chemical traits.[3] Although little is known about most zodariids, members of the genus Zodarion apparently feed only on ants; a number of other genera in the family are apparently also ant (or termite) specialists.[4]

Genera

  • male Diores russelli
    male Diores russelli
  • female Mallinella shimojanai
    female Mallinella shimojanai
  • male Palindroma morogorom
    male Palindroma morogorom
  • Psammorygma aculeatum
    Psammorygma aculeatum

As of January 2026, this family includes ninety genera and 1,325 species:[1]

  • Acanthinozodium Denis, 1966 – Africa, Asia
  • Akyttara Jocqué, 1987 – Africa, Vietnam
  • Amphiledorus Jocqué & Bosmans, 2001 – Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Portugal, Spain
  • Antillorena Jocqué, 1991 – Caribbean, Brazil, Colombia
  • Asceua Thorell, 1887 – Africa, Asia, Australia
  • Aschema Jocqué, 1991 – Madagascar
  • Asteron Jocqué, 1991 – Australia
  • Australutica Jocqué, 1995 – South Africa, Australia
  • Ballomma Jocqué & Henrard, 2015 – South Africa
  • Basasteron Baehr, 2003 – Australia
  • Caesetius Simon, 1893 – Southern Africa
  • Cambonilla Jocqué, 2019 – Cambodia, Laos
  • Capheris Simon, 1893 – Africa, India
  • Cavasteron Baehr & Jocqué, 2000 – Australia
  • Chariobas Simon, 1893 – Africa
  • Chilumena Jocqué, 1995 – Australia
  • Cicynethus Simon, 1910 – Southern Africa
  • Colimarena Jocqué & Baert, 2021 – Mexico
  • Cryptothele L. Koch, 1872 – Indonesia, Singapore, India, Sri Lanka, Oceania
  • Cybaeodamus Mello-Leitão, 1938 – South America
  • Cydrela Thorell, 1873 – Africa, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Yemen
  • Cyrioctea Simon, 1889 – Namibia, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Chile
  • Diores Simon, 1893 – Africa
  • Dusmadiores Jocqué, 1987 – Tanzania, Uganda, Western Africa, Yemen
  • Epicratinus Jocqué & Baert, 2005 – Bolivia, Brazil, Guyana
  • Euasteron Baehr, 2003 – Australia
  • Euryeidon Dankittipakul & Jocqué, 2004 – China, Thailand
  • Forsterella Jocqué, 1991 – New Zealand
  • Habronestes L. Koch, 1872 – Australia
  • Heliconilla Dankittipakul, Jocqué & Singtripop, 2012 – China, Southeast Asia
  • Heradida Simon, 1893 – Ethiopia, Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa
  • Heradion Dankittipakul & Jocqué, 2004 – China, Southeast Asia
  • Hermippus Simon, 1893 – Africa, India, Sri Lanka
  • Hetaerica Rainbow, 1916 – Australia
  • Holasteron Baehr, 2004 – Australia
  • Indozodion Ovtchinnikov, 2006 – Afghanistan, Pakistan
  • Ishania Chamberlin, 1925 – Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico
  • Lachesana Strand, 1932 – Egypt, Asia, Cyprus, Greece
  • Laminion Sankaran, Caleb & Sebastian, 2020 – India
  • Leprolochus Simon, 1893 – Trinidad, Panama, South America
  • Leptasteron Baehr & Jocqué, 2001 – Australia
  • Leviola Miller, 1970 – Angola
  • Lutica Marx, 1891 – United States
  • Malayozodarion Ono & Hashim, 2008 – Malaysia
  • Mallinella Strand, 1906 – Africa, Asia, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands
  • Mallinus Simon, 1893 – South Africa
  • Masasteron Baehr, 2004 – Australia
  • Mastidiores Jocqué, 1987 – Kenya
  • Microdiores Jocqué, 1987 – Burundi, Malawi, Tanzania
  • Minasteron Baehr & Jocqué, 2000 – Australia
  • Murphydrela Jocqué & Russell-Smith, 2022 – Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eastern Africa
  • Neostorena Rainbow, 1914 – Australia
  • Nostera Jocqué, 1991 – Australia
  • Nosterella Baehr & Jocqué, 2017 – Australia
  • Notasteron Baehr, 2005 – Australia
  • Omucukia Koçak & Kemal, 2008 – Madagascar
  • Palaestina O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872 – Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece
  • Palfuria Simon, 1910 – Africa
  • Palindroma Jocqué & Henrard, 2015 – DR Congo, Malawi, Tanzania
  • Parazodarion Ovtchinnikov, Ahmad & Gurko, 2009 – Asia
  • Pax Levy, 1990 – Western Asia
  • Pentasteron Baehr & Jocqué, 2001 – Australia
  • Phenasteron Baehr & Jocqué, 2001 – Australia
  • Platnickia Jocqué, 1991 – Argentina, Chile
  • Procydrela Jocqué, 1999 – South Africa
  • Psammoduon Jocqué, 1991 – Namibia, South Africa
  • Psammorygma Jocqué, 1991 – Namibia, South Africa
  • Pseudasteron Jocqué & Baehr, 2001 – Australia
  • Ranops Jocqué, 1991 – Tanzania, Southern Africa
  • Rotundrela Jocqué, 1999 – South Africa
  • Selamia Simon, 1873 – Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Italy, Western Mediterranean
  • Spinasteron Baehr, 2003 – Australia
  • Spinozodium Zamani & Marusik, 2022 – Tajikistan
  • Storena Walckenaer, 1805 – Ethiopia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Australia, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Vanuatu, Argentina, Ecuador, Venezuela
  • Storenomorpha Simon, 1884 – China, Southeast Asia, India
  • Storosa Jocqué, 1991 – Australia
  • Subasteron Baehr & Jocqué, 2001 – Australia
  • Suffascar Henrard & Jocqué, 2017 – Madagascar
  • Suffasia Jocqué, 1991 – India, Nepal, Sri Lanka
  • Suffrica Henrard & Jocqué, 2015 – Kenya, Tanzania
  • Systenoplacis Simon, 1907 – Africa
  • Tenedos O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1897 – Central America, South America
  • Thaumastochilus Simon, 1897 – South Africa
  • Tropasteron Baehr, 2003 – Australia
  • Tropizodium Jocqué & Churchill, 2005 – China, Thailand, India, Nepal, Hawaii, Australia, French Polynesia, Bali. Introduced to Réunion
  • Trygetus Simon, 1882 – Djibouti, Egypt, Morocco, Asia
  • Workmania Dankittipakul, Jocqué & Singtripop, 2012 – Southeast Asia
  • Zillimata Jocqué, 1995 – Australia
  • Zodariellum Andreeva & Tystshenko, 1968 – Asia, Russia, Tadjikistan
  • Zodarion Walckenaer, 1826 – North Africa, Asia, Europe, United States

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Family: Zodariidae Thorell, 1881". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2026-01-18.
  2. ^ "Families", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2026-01-23
  3. ^ a b "Zodariidae ant spiders". Retrieved 2019-11-02.
  4. ^ "zodariid ground spiders". EOL-Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
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