Dysderid Spiders
What are they?
These spiders favor damp, dark places such as basements, where they specilaize in hunting woodlice. For this, they have oversized chelicerae (external jaws) which allow them to puncture through the armored skin of their prey.
Identification
The rather bulbous, pale-colored abdomen and large chelicerae make this species quite easy to identify. Spiders in this group have six (not eight) eyes, arranged in a tight cluster on the fron of the head.
Woodlouse Hunter Dysdera crocata
Introduced from Europe and now widespread and common in our area, where it mostly hunts introdued woodlice around houses and gardens.
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