Know Your Enemy
Accurate identification of pests is as important as choosing the best preventive pest management available on the market today. Preventive Pest Control has compiled a list of most common pests to help you identify the problem.
Woodlouse Hunter
(Dysdera crocata)
Characteristics
The woodlouse hunter belongs to the Dysderidae family.
Its main characteristics are:
• They have orange to brown cephalothorax and chelicerae and legs that are similarly colored
• Dirty white, long, hairless abdomen
• The chelicerae are very large and are obviously seen
• Females are 9/20 to 3/5 inch in length, and males are 7/20 to 2/5 inch in length
• The dysderids have six eyes that are arranged in a semicircle
Habitat
These spiders are nocturnal insects and can be found in areas where a dense growth of trees, grass and plants are present.
Other locations where they can be found are:
• Under stones
• Under loose tree bark
• Logs
• Boards
Behavior
When they are not hunting, these spiders create a home in a silken retreat. It does not rely on webs to catch prey compared to other insects. They spend their daytime hours in a silk cocoon, and when night falls, they will come out and find for food. Once they feed, they can stay in their cocoon for a month.
Food
The woodlouse hunter mostly prefer terrestrial isopods or woodlice as its main course, but can also feed on beetles. They will pierce through the armored woodlice with the use of their enlarged jaws and long fangs, or they can also stab it in its soft underbelly once they are able to turn it over.
Life Cycle
The life cycle of a woodlouse hunter is long as it takes about eighteen months before the spider becomes mature after hatching from its egg. Once it matures, the spider can live an additional two to three years. Their mating may happen in any season, but their eggs will be laid only at certain times, and may have up 70 ova within an egg sac.
Other Information and Tips
Although the woodlouse hunter has a tendency to bite, especially when it is threatened, the result of its bite is considered not to be dangerous. The pain may be because of the piercing of the skin instead of the spider’s venom. However, there are some reports that they have a mildly toxic venom and may cause a local reaction when bitten. Although there may be a little chance that they can bite because of their huge fangs, but since their venom has not been studied well yet, it is better not to handle these spiders on your own.
Photo: Woodlouse Spider by devra, used under CC BY 2.0 / resized from original