| Aelurillus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| male A. v-insignitus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Salticidae |
| Subfamily: | Salticinae |
| Genus: | Aelurillus Simon, 1885 [1] |
| Type species | |
| Araneus litera v-insignitus Clerck, 1757 | |
| Species | |
See text | |
| Diversity | |
| 68 species | |
Aelurillus is a genus of spiders in the family Salticidae (jumping spiders).
Species of the genus Aelurillus are typically about 7 mm long in females, and up to five mm in males. They are stout, squat-shaped and rather furry, with females often uniformly mottled sandy brown, while males are often black, sometimes with a pattern and with light, annulated legs. [2]
Spiders in this genus mainly catch and feed on ants (myrmecophagy).
A Southeast Asian species of the genus Aelurillus has been observed to jump around 30-40 times its body length straight onto the back of a large gnaphosid spider and kill it. [3]
They like hot, dry, stony places or small bare open areas with dead twigs or similar amongst low vegetation. [2]
Species of the genus Aelurillus occur in the Palaearctic and Africa, with a few species known from India (A. improvisus, A. minimontanus) and Sri Lanka (A. kronestedti, A. quadrimaculatus). Aelurillus subfestivus is found in Japan.
The following species are recognised in the genus Aelurillus: [4]
