297, see text Dysdera is a genus of woodlouse hunting spiders that was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804.

During the day, they are commonly found taking shelter under objects like gravel with organic material covering it, in forests beneath bark or leaf litter, and occasionally in suburban gardens.

These spiders have wide jaws and large fangs to help to overcome the solid armor-like shells of woodlice.

It makes them powerful predators for their size, allowing them to dominate or kill competitors, such as centipedes or other spiders.

[6] They can also excrete certain enzymes that neutralize the chemical defenses of potential prey, allowing them to subsist on other common ground-dwelling invertebrates, including silverfish, earwigs, millipedes, and small burying beetles.

The D. crocata, D. ninnii, D. dubrovninnii, D. hungarica, and D. longirostris are the five species still found in Central Europe after the last glacial period.

[6] They are also abundantly found in North African countries like Morocco and Egypt, but also in Ethiopia, the Iberian Peninsula, and Australia.

In the United States, Dysdera crocata is found from New England down to Georgia, and all the way across the country in California.