Ant spider
Family of spiders
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
| Ant spiders Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| |
| Female Mallinella fulvipes | |
 | |
| Caesetius sp. | |
Scientific 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) | |
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
female Mallinella shimojanai
male Palindroma morogorom
As of January 2026[update], 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
- Myrmarachne, a genus of ant-mimicking spiders in the family Salticidae
