Ant spider

Ant spiders Temporal range: Palaeogene–present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
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, > 1200 species

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]

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
• 
  Psammorygma aculeatum

As of October 2025^[update], this family includes ninety genera:^[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

• List of Zodariidae species
• Myrmarachne, a genus of ant-mimicking spiders in the family Salticidae

References

1. "Family: Zodariidae Thorell, 1881". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-05.
2. "Currently valid spider genera and species", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2017-04-28
3. "Zodariidae ant spiders". Retrieved 2019-11-02.
4. "zodariid ground spiders". EOL-Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 2019-11-02.

External links

• Citizen science observations for Ant spider at iNaturalist