365 Urban Species. #098: Woodlouse Spider

[urbpan]

Urban species #098: Woodlouse spider Dysdera crocata

While handling this spider trying (unsuccessfully) to get a better photograph, I became unnerved when I noticed its fangs. Usually on a spider this size (maybe 3/4 or an inch, or a little less than 2 cm) the fangs are inconspicuous, tucked away underneath. The woodlouse spider has long, obvious fangs, presumably strong and sharp for piercing the shell of their crustacean prey. Most spiders' fangs are not strong enough to bite through human skin, but some are, and this individual looked capable. But it showed no inclination to bite, instead clambering in a panic to remove itself from the light.

Research after the fact indicates that it indeed could have bitten me, but it wouldn't have injured me seriously. Or to use some delicious technical language: "D. crocata bites have been implicated in causing a localized, intensely pruritic rash with coalescing dermal papules 4-5 mm in diameter.  The bites apparently do not result in any systemic neurotoxicity or cytotoxicity." (http://www.ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/Spider/spiders.htm)

The woodlouse spider, unsurprisingly, is found anywhere woodlice are. Under logs and stones and other debris near buildings is where you will most likely encounter one. They were apparently introduced to North America and Australia, along with their favored prey, from Europe. It's possible that no introduced woodlice are considered invasive because their predator comes along with them when they travel.

Comments

powers out

[(Anonymous)]

well the power went out last night and within a ten minute period i saw the first one... it was a little scary with the huge fangs, i became startled when a second one was spotted less then a foot within five minutes of spotting the first i saw another four.... then lights came on and they were gone

[(Anonymous)]

Thanks for the info I live in San Clemente CA and just found one in the back yard. I have a fear of spiders but very interested when I find one. Glad to know this one was not harmful.

Woodlouse spider

[(Anonymous)]

i love in North west England and have a very big interest in spiders. i was reading a nature book and noticed this spider and said u can find them anywhere where there are woodlouse. so when i got home i went straight to our compost bin and lo and behold there it was with huge fangs. i was well happy, proper buzzin. i haven't seen one since though

[(Anonymous)]

Me and my hubby live in South Beloit, IL in a basement apartment and we have lived here for about 2 and a half years now and I would say that we have seen about a dozen of these spiders since we moved in..the first time we seen one it was huge, with the span of its legs it was about the size of a half dollar..talk about gross!!! I have never seen my husband so freaked freaked out before by a bug!! Well now just about a week ago we caught one about the size of a quarter..I wanna know if these can hurt my animals, say if my kitty was to get ahold of one and then it bite her will she become ill?? Could she die??

hmm

[(Anonymous)]

so i have seen like fifty of these in like the last week....and i didnt know if they could hurt pets or not....

[(Anonymous)]

my cat caught a woodlouse spider before and im assumig it has bitten him on the tongue, will this harm him in any way? he just keeps shaking his head but cant see anythin on his tongue.....help please

Just found one where I live on Cape Cod

[(Anonymous)]

Went into the bathroom at 2:AM and this spider was on the ceiling. It ran at me at first. I sprayed it with hairspray to stop it. It dropped onto the sink where it ran under a sponge. Tried to corner it with the sponge and it actually dug into the sponge ferociously with its fangs. At least an inch long, this Spider had a gross white, egg-sac /termite-like body, glossy red legs and a big red head with visible red fangs. I never saw one of these in this house on Cape Cod (where I've lived since 1982), before. I threw it and the sponge in the toilet, dowsed it with rubbing alcohol and lit a match. It hissed as it burned to death. But I cannot sleep thinking there are anymore of these around here.
A horse in the barn across the street was neighing loudly all day. Has me wondering if the animal was being attacked by an outbreak of these spiders.
I wish someone would explain if seeing one of these monsters means there are many more - waiting in the shadows.

Invasion on Cape Cod - Mass

[(Anonymous)]

Went into the bathroom at 2:AM and this spider was on the ceiling. It ran at me at first. I sprayed it with hairspray to stop it. It dropped onto the sink where it ran under a sponge. Tried to corner it with the sponge and it actually dug into the sponge ferociously with its fangs. A Spider this brazen and designed to put its bite to task is not the usual house spider nesting from the crawlspaces in this old wooden house. At least an inch long, this Spider had a gross white, egg-sac /termite-like body, glossy red legs and a big red head with visible red fangs. I never saw one of these in this house on Cape Cod (where I've lived since 1982), before. I threw it and the sponge in the toilet, dowsed it with rubbing alcohol and lit a match. It hissed as it burned to death. But I cannot sleep thinking there are anymore of these around here.
A horse in the barn across the street was neighing loudly all day. Has me wondering if the animal was being attacked by an outbreak of these spiders.
I wish someone would explain if seeing one of these monsters means there are many more - waiting in the shadows.

scary

[(Anonymous)]

just spotted one of these little buggers outside, near a pile of logs. id just put down a packet of chewing gum on top of one of the logs, and left it there. when i came back later, i picked up the gum, took out a piece and started chewing it. when i looked down, i saw a big spider that had been hiding underneath it. I was just about to squish it with somethin, but i saw the big fangs and thought it might be dangerous, so i took the piece of chewing gum out of my mouth, and pressed it down hard on it to kill it quick. later on, i looked at the spider, and i decided to look it up coz and i found this which was interestin. next time i see one, i wont be scared when i kill it

[(Anonymous)]

i leave in Kent uk and i just killed one of these in my bathroom :(
its scary to see that walking in ur bathroom :S

I got bitten by a woodlouse!

[(Anonymous)]

Yep. Not the spider. An actual woodlouse crawled onto my hand and bit me, leaving a small red bite mark and a blue-ish bruise. Seems like the prey is just as bad as the predator!

woodlouse spider

[(Anonymous)]

found one of these spiders in our garden Cambridge UK whilst shifting some rotten wood. Scared the hell out of my boyfriend and his brother so they killed it with a spade then made sure it was deffinatly dead by killing it with a rake too!!!! It looked like some wierd sea creature.

bitten

[(Anonymous)]

i was biten by one on 2009 june 2 it didnt hurt but it left a bad bite and went to the doctor and it sad to use a ice pac and some cream

Woodlouse...

[(Anonymous)]

We have a TON of these guys around our home in central California. We first spotted them INSIDE our home, where our cat seemed to find them quite amusing...keeping the rolly-polys away from the outside of the house reduces their numbers...

ekk

[(Anonymous)]

i see these spiders all the time, i actually just saw one and thought i would search the web for more info about them...thanks for the info :)

[(Anonymous)]

Well I live in Utah USA and these are everywhere! surprising enough after putting them in a jar with pill bugs I discovered that there fangs are large enough to pierce through the armor of the pill bug when its curled into a ball.

ewww!

[(Anonymous)]

I live in the UK, south part of England. When I was changing the bedsheets I saw this small silk web which I hastily wiped away with a tissue as my other half is really arachnophobic (bless him!). I was just putting the bottom sheet on the bed when I saw a weird spider which ran under the sheet, so I hit the sheet a few times and knocked it to the floor, where I managed to 'pincer' some of its legs in one of those coathangers for skirts so that I could take a proper look. I really don't like spiders either, and it seems that my usual fear-fueled bravery just did not make an appearance, so unfortunately I squished it (and yes, I do feel bad...). I got my laptop out and Googled a description of it and managed to identify it pretty quickly, so thanks to everyone out there for sharing their wisdom! I am glad I didn't touch it as I was on my own in the flat and it really DOES have huuuuge jaws, and I think the psychological trauma of a spider bite may have been a bit much for me this evening! So now I am sat here looking at more pictures of spiders and freaking myself out, and trying to be good and not tell my fiancé about my little eight-legged discovery or I know the poor bloke will not sleep a wink tonight! Wish me luck... ;)

[(Anonymous)]

I live in "luxury" apartments in Massachusetts. Upon cleaning up my daughters toys, one of these creepy woodlouse spiders jumped out! I was so skeeved out by the whole thing, that I put a cup over it and I'm waiting for my fiance to come home to kill it! OMG, I don't think I'm going to sleep well tonight...

woodlouse spiders

[(Anonymous)]

I have had these in my basement for several years and was afraid they were brown recluse. I live by a forest and have those awful Japanese beetles, pillbugs, and boxelder bugs everywhere. Also have the centipedes that eat those and now the spiders which are part of this whole bug after bug circle. I can't get rid of any of these due to the trees and the Nebraska environment. It is a viscious circle. Wish I could find a way to get rid of them all.

[(Anonymous)]

I just found one, tonight, in my bed!!!
It was pretty big, I thought I caught it in a sock but it was gone after I carried it too the door! Glad to know its not too dangerous.

woodhouse spider

[(Anonymous)]

I found one of these critters running across my kichen floor last night and it scared the crap out of me! I use to love spiders when I was a kid but mt sister tramatized me by pouring a cup of spiders over my head when I was about nine or ten and I have had a spider phobia ever since. So I took off my sandal and crushed it bcuz I had no idea what kind of spider it was and I have a 20 month old son. It was so peculiar looking to me and I wanted to know if it was at all poisonous, so I put it in a jar and looked it up. Strange that even tho I smacked it with my shoe, it did not get crushed at all. At first I thought maybe it was playing dead bcuz it sure didn't look dead. I also noticed the big fangs which made me think it might have been poisonous. This was the first, and hopefully, the last time that I have seen this spider.

woodlouse spider

[trenee2001mi.livejournal.com]

I live in southern CO and one of these crawled across my bedroom carpet a few days ago. After researching online, I believe it was a female, and sources indicate it probably mated and laid eggs in April. How do I find them? I couldn't breath with just ONE near me!