Dysdera crocata
(Woodlouse Hunter)

Featured spider picture The spider species Dysdera crocata, commonly known as Woodlouse Hunter, belongs to the genus Dysdera, in the family Dysderidae. Dysdera crocata spiders have been sighted 172 times by contributing members. Based on collected data, the geographic range for Dysdera crocata includes 4 countries and 31 states in the United States. Dysdera crocata is most often sighted indoors, and during the month of April.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Suborder: Araneomorphae
Family: Dysderidae
Genus: Dysdera
Species: Dysdera crocata

Other Common Names

Dysderid Spider, Woodlouse Hunter, Woodlouse Spider, Sowbug Killer, Slater Spider, Pillbug Hunter, Orange Spider, Cell Spider, Long-fanged Ground Spider

Author

Carl Ludwig Koch, 1838

Primary Colors

Sightings Overview

There have been 172 confirmed sightings of Dysdera crocata (Woodlouse Hunter), with the most recent sighting submitted on July 31, 2024 by Spider ID member akj. The detailed statistics below may not utilize the complete dataset of 172 sightings because of certain Dysdera crocata sightings reporting incomplete data.

Web: 8% of the time, Dysdera crocata spiders are sighted in a spider web (Sample size: 172)
Sex: 4 female and 4 male.
Environment: Dysdera crocata has been sighted 76 times outdoors, and 113 times indoors.
Outdoors: Man-made structure (30). Low foliage (5). High foliage (1). Ground layer (16). Under rock or debris (24).

Location and Range

Dysdera crocata (Woodlouse Hunter) has been sighted in the following countries: Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, United States.

Dysdera crocata has also been sighted in the following states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Seasonality

Dysdera crocata has been primarily sighted during the month of April.

January: 14
February: 13
March: 25
April: 45
May: 41
June: 7
July: 6
August: 3
September: 3
October: 7
November: 5
December: 3

Additional Remarks

Because of similar coloration, this spider can be mistaken for the “Broad-faced Sac Spider” (Trachelas tranquillus) and related species in that genus. Dysdera have 6 eyes while Trachelas have 8; the large fangs of Dysdera also help distinguish it.
Egg sac may contain around 70 eggs, and is guarded by the female inside her silken retreat.
Individuals make take about 18 months to mature, then survive an additional year or two on average.
Prey seems to be preferentially terrestrial isopod crustaceans known as woodlice (aka “sowbugs” and “pillbugs”), but any other arthropods it can catch are fair game. The long fangs help the spider to maintain a scissor-like grip on woodlice, while typically using only one fang to pierce the prey’s softer underbelly.