Body commonly about 10–15 mm, with conspicuously large chelicerae.
Fine-art photographic collection
Dysdera crocata
A red-headed hunter built to tackle armoured prey — but less specialised than its name suggests.
About this species
Woodlouse Spider
Dysdera crocataC. L. Koch, 1838
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Dysdera crocata is a nocturnal ground spider often found beneath stones, logs and debris. It is famous for hunting woodlice with unusually large chelicerae, although experiments show that it also accepts a wide range of other invertebrate prey.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Araneae · Dysderidae · Dysdera
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
Europe and other temperate regions worldwideBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Europe and other temperate regions worldwide
Dark, humid retreats beneath stones, logs, bark and garden debris; also buildings and cellars.
Primarily nocturnal.
Woodlice and a range of other terrestrial invertebrates.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
Its exceptionally long fangs can reach around the hard plates of a woodlouse and grip the softer underside of the prey.
Controlled feeding trials overturned the simple “woodlouse specialist” story: the spiders readily attacked flies, beetle larvae, bugs, moths and crickets.
A review of verified human bites found only short-lived local pain and no serious systemic effects, despite the species’ intimidating jaws.
More photographs
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