The woodlouse hunters, sowbug-eating spiders or cell spiders, family Dysderidae, are araneomorphspiders found primarily in Eurasia, though extending into North Africa
Dysderids have six eyes. They are haplogyne, i.e. the females lack a sclerotized epigynum. There are a substantial number of genera, but two of them Dysdera and Harpactea account for a very large number of the species, and are widespread across the family's range. One species, Dysdera crocata (the woodlouse hunter), has been transported over much of the planet together with its preferred foods - sowbugs and pillbugs (or woodlice). Dysdera also feeds on beetles. These spiders have very large chelicerae, which they use to pierce the armored bodies of woodlice and beetles. There are also some reports that they have a mildly toxic venom that can cause local reactions in humans; with their huge fangs there is little doubt that they could bite if threatened, but the venom has not been well studied. It is probably wise not to handle these spiders.
The spiders have their six eyes arranged in a semicircle like segestrids, but have only the first two pairs of legs produced forward. Dysdera crocata has a characteristic coloring, which can only be confused with spiders in the corinnid genera Trachelas and Meriola: The carapace is dull red-brown and the abdomen gray or tan.
External links
Platnick, N.I. 2003. World Spider Catalog (http://research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/catalog81-87/index.html)
Trapdoor spiders line the vertical shaft of their tunnel with silk to provide structure, and attach the "trapdoor-lid" over the hold in the ground with silk, so that it hinges at the edge.
Spiders have a very bad reputation in the United States, with fears being exaggerated greatly by the media and even by parents who pass on a culture of fear to their children.
When spider bites do occur, it is important to go to the doctor, especially if a red-line begins to appear from the bite and going in the direction of the heart.
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