Olios

Olios
Olios lamarcki
Olios sericeus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Sparassidae
Genus:	Olios Walckenaer, 1837
Type species
Olios argelasius Walckenaer, 1805
Species
165, see text.
Synonyms [1]
MidamusSimon, 1880 NisuetaSimon, 1880 NonianusSimon, 1885 PelmopodaKarsch, 1879

Olios is the largest genus of huntsman spiders, containing 165 species. They are found throughout the world, with most species occurring in hot countries. The genus was first described by Charles Athanase Walckenaer in 1837. ^[1]

Description

They are small to large Sparassidae, that have eight eyes in two partially straight rows. For the smaller species of this genus, they are usually light brown to brown with darker areas. Most larger species are darker, and some members of this genus may also be green. They are nocturnal hunters. ^[2]

Venom

Like most spiders, members of the genus Olios are not considered dangerous to humans. While they do possess venom, it is primarily used to subdue its prey, which consists of insects. The venom is not potent enough to cause significant harm to humans, and bites may result in mild symptoms such as redness, swelling, or pain, similar to a bee sting.^{[ citation needed ]}

Habitat

As this genus is widespread, they are found in a large variety of habitats, from savannahs to rainforest. They are mainly found in vegetation, and rarely houses. They are sometimes shipped alongside fruit, but this is not a common occurrence. ^[2]

• 
  O. giganteus with prey
• 
  male Olios sp. on leaf

Species

• 
  O. argelasius
• 
  O. giganteus
• 
  O. lamarcki
• 
  O. milleti

As of September 2025 ^[update] , this genus includes 165 species and five subspecies. ^[1]

These species have articles on Wikipedia:

• Olios argelasius (Walckenaer, 1806) – Mediterranean. Introduced to Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Poland (type species)
• Olios auricomis (Simon, 1880) – Gambia, Cameroon, DR Congo, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Angola, South Africa
• Olios biarmatus Lessert, 1925 – South Africa
• Olios brachycephalus Lawrence, 1938 – South Africa
• Olios chelifer Lawrence, 1937 – South Africa
• Olios chubbi Lessert, 1923 – Mozambique, South Africa
• Olios correvoni Lessert, 1921 – Tanzania
• Olios fasciculatus Simon, 1880 – Gabon, Guinea, Congo, DR Congo, South Sudan, Tanzania, South Africa
• Olios fonticola (Pocock, 1902) – South Africa
• Olios freyi Lessert, 1929 – DR Congo, South Africa
• Olios giganteus Keyserling, 1884 – United States, Mexico
• Olios greeni (Pocock, 1901) – Sri Lanka
• Olios hirtus (Karsch, 1879) – Sri Lanka
• Olios kruegeri (Simon, 1897) – South Africa
• Olios kunzi Jäger, 2020 – Namibia, South Africa, Zambia?
• Olios lacticolor Lawrence, 1952 – South Africa
• Olios lamarcki (Latreille, 1806) – Madagascar to India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh
• Olios lepidus Vellard, 1924 – Brazil
• Olios machadoi Lawrence, 1952 – South Africa
• Olios marshalli (Pocock, 1898) – South Africa
• Olios milleti (Pocock, 1901) – India, Sri Lanka
• Olios senilis Simon, 1880 – India, Sri Lanka
• Olios sherwoodi Lessert, 1929 – DR Congo, Namibia, South Africa
• Olios sjostedti Lessert, 1921 – Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa
• Olios stictopus (Pocock, 1898) – South Africa
• Olios suavis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876) – Cyprus, Israel, Egypt
• Olios zulu Simon, 1880 – South Africa

Complete species list as of September 2025 [update]

Olios acolastus (Thorell, 1890) – Indonesia (Sumatra) Olios acostae Schenkel, 1953 – Venezuela Olios actaeon (Pocock, 1898) – Papua New Guinea (New Britain) Olios admiratus (Pocock, 1901) – India Olios alluaudi Simon, 1887 – Ivory Coast Olios angolensis Jäger, 2020 – Angola Olios argelasius (Walckenaer, 1806) – Mediterranean. Introduced to Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Poland (type species) Olios artemis Hogg, 1916 – New Guinea Olios atomarius Simon, 1880 – Peru Olios attractus Petrunkevitch, 1911 – Brazil Olios aurantiacus Mello-Leitão, 1918 – Brazil Olios auricomis (Simon, 1880) – Gambia, Cameroon, DR Congo, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Angola, South Africa Olios batesi (Pocock, 1900) – Cameroon Olios baulnyi (Simon, 1874) – Morocco, Senegal, Sudan Olios benitensis (Pocock, 1900) – Cameroon Olios berlandi Roewer, 1951 – New Caledonia Olios bhattacharjeei (Saha & Raychaudhuri, 2007) – India Olios bhavnagarensis Sethi & Tikader, 1988 – India Olios biarmatus Lessert, 1925 – South Africa Olios biprocessus Hu, Zhang & Liu, 2025 – China Olios brachycephalus Lawrence, 1938 – South Africa Olios bungarensis Strand, 1913 – Indonesia (Sumatra) Olios canalae Berland, 1924 – New Caledonia Olios canariensis (Lucas, 1838) – Canary Islands Olios caprinus Mello-Leitão, 1918 – Brazil Olios chelifer Lawrence, 1937 – South Africa Olios chubbi Lessert, 1923 – Mozambique, South Africa Olios clarus (Keyserling, 1880) – Mexico Olios claviger (Pocock, 1901) – Zimbabwe Olios coccineiventris (Simon, 1880) – Indonesia (Moluccas), New Guinea Olios coenobita Fage, 1926 – Madagascar Olios correvoni Lessert, 1921 – Tanzania O. c. choupangensis Lessert, 1936 – Mozambique O. c. nigrifrons Lawrence, 1928 – Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Eswatini Olios crassus (Banks, 1909) – Costa Rica Olios croseiceps (Pocock, 1898) – Malawi Olios darlingi (Pocock, 1901) – Zimbabwe Olios debalae (Biswas & Roy, 2005) – India Olios debilipes Mello-Leitão, 1945 – Argentina Olios denticulus Jäger, 2020 – Indonesia (Java) Olios diao Jäger, 2012 – Laos, Cambodia Olios digitatus Sun, Li & Zhang, 2011 – China Olios discolorichelis Caporiacco, 1947 – Guyana Olios durlaviae Biswas & Raychaudhuri, 2005 – Bangladesh Olios erraticus Fage, 1926 – Madagascar Olios erroneus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1890 – Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela? Olios extensus Berland, 1924 – New Caledonia Olios faesi Lessert, 1933 – Angola Olios fasciculatus Simon, 1880 – Gabon, Guinea, Congo, DR Congo, South Sudan, Tanzania, South Africa Olios fasciiventris Simon, 1880 – Tanzania (Zanzibar) Olios feldmanni Strand, 1915 – Cameroon Olios ferox (Thorell, 1892) – Indonesia, Australia Olios fimbriatus Chrysanthus, 1965 – Indonesia (Java, New Guinea) Olios flavens Nicolet, 1849 – Chile Olios floweri Lessert, 1921 – Ethiopia, East Africa Olios fonticola (Pocock, 1902) – South Africa Olios francoisi (Simon, 1898) – New Caledonia (Loyalty Is.) Olios freyi Lessert, 1929 – DR Congo, South Africa Olios fulvithorax Berland, 1924 – New Caledonia Olios galapagoensis Banks, 1902 – Galapagos Olios gambiensis Jäger, 2020 – Gambia Olios gaujoni (Simon, 1897) – Ecuador Olios gentilis (Karsch, 1879) – West Africa Olios giganteus Keyserling, 1884 – United States, Mexico Olios gravelyi Sethi & Tikader, 1988 – India Olios greeni (Pocock, 1901) – Sri Lanka Olios hampsoni (Pocock, 1901) – India Olios hirtus (Karsch, 1879) – Sri Lanka Olios hoplites Caporiacco, 1941 – Ethiopia Olios humboldtianus Berland, 1924 – New Caledonia Olios igraya (Barrion & Litsinger, 1995) – Philippines (Luzon) Olios inaequipes (Simon, 1890) – Indonesia (Flores) Olios insignifer Chrysanthus, 1965 – New Guinea Olios insulanus (Thorell, 1881) – Indonesia (Kei Is.) Olios ishikawatodaorum Arakawa, Kato & Tanikawa, 2025 – Japan Olios jaenicke Jäger, 2012 – Laos Olios jaldaparaensis Saha & Raychaudhuri, 2007 – India Olios japonicus Jäger & Ono, 2000 – Japan (Ryukyu Is.) Olios kassenjicola Strand, 1916 – Central Africa Olios kiranae Sethi & Tikader, 1988 – India Olios kolosvaryi (Caporiacco, 1947) – Ethiopia Olios kruegeri (Simon, 1897) – South Africa Olios kunzi Jäger, 2020 – Namibia, South Africa, Zambia? Olios lacticolor Lawrence, 1952 – South Africa Olios lamarcki (Latreille, 1806) – Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh Olios lepidus Vellard, 1924 – Brazil Olios lincangensis Hu, Zhang & Liu, 2025 – China Olios longipedatus Roewer, 1951 – Brazil Olios longipes (Simon, 1884) – Sudan Olios lucieni Jäger, 2020 – Ethiopia, Kenya Olios lutescens (Thorell, 1894) – Pakistan, Myanmar, Indonesia (Sumatra, Java) Olios machadoi Lawrence, 1952 – South Africa Olios macroepigynus Soares, 1944 – Brazil Olios maculatus (Blackwall, 1862) – Brazil, Caribbean? Olios mahabangkawitus Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines Olios marshalli (Pocock, 1898) – South Africa Olios menghaiensis (Wang & Zhang, 1990) – China, Laos Olios milleti (Pocock, 1901) – India, Sri Lanka Olios minensis (Mello-Leitão, 1917) – Brazil Olios monticola Berland, 1924 – New Caledonia Olios mordax (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1899) – Madagascar Olios muang Jäger & Praxaysombath, 2009 – Laos Olios mutabilis Mello-Leitão, 1917 – Brazil Olios mygalinus Doleschall, 1857 – Indonesia (Moluccas), New Guinea O. m. cinctipes Merian, 1911 – Indonesia (Sulawesi) O. m. nigripalpis Merian, 1911 – Indonesia (Sulawesi) Olios nanningensis (Hu & Ru, 1988) – China Olios nentwigi Jäger, 2020 – Indonesia (Krakatau Is.) Olios neocaledonicus Berland, 1924 – New Caledonia Olios nigrifrons (Simon, 1897) – Indonesia (Java) Olios nigriventris Taczanowski, 1872 – French Guiana Olios oberzelleri Kritscher, 1966 – New Caledonia Olios obesulus (Pocock, 1901) – India Olios obscurus (Keyserling, 1880) – Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama Olios obtusus (F. O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1900) – Guatemala Olios oubatchensis Berland, 1924 – New Caledonia Olios paraensis (Keyserling, 1880) – Brazil Olios pellucidus (Keyserling, 1880) – Peru Olios perezi Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines Olios peruvianus Roewer, 1951 – Peru Olios pictus (Simon, 1885) – Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Israel, Saudi Arabia Olios plumipes Mello-Leitão, 1937 – Brazil Olios princeps Hogg, 1914 – New Guinea Olios pulchripes (Thorell, 1899) – Cameroon Olios punctipes Simon, 1884 – Pakistan, India, Indonesia (Sumatra) O. p. sordidatus (Thorell, 1895) – Myanmar Olios punjabensis Dyal, 1935 – Pakistan Olios pusillus Simon, 1880 – Madagascar Olios pyrozonis (Pocock, 1901) – India Olios quadrispilotus (Simon, 1880) – Tanzania (Zanzibar) Olios roeweri Caporiacco, 1955 – Guyana Olios rossettii (Leardi, 1901) – Pakistan, India, Nepal Olios rotundiceps (Pocock, 1901) – India Olios rubripes Taczanowski, 1872 – French Guiana Olios rubriventris (Thorell, 1881) – Indonesia (Moluccas), New Guinea Olios ruwenzoricus Strand, 1913 – Central Africa Olios scalptor Jäger & Ono, 2001 – Taiwan Olios senilis Simon, 1880 – India, Sri Lanka Olios sericeus (Kroneberg, 1875) – Ukraine, Caucasus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Afghanistan, China Olios sherwoodi Lessert, 1929 – DR Congo, Namibia, South Africa Olios similis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1890) – Guatemala Olios simoni (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1890) – Guatemala Olios sjostedti Lessert, 1921 – Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa Olios skwarrae (Roewer, 1933) – Mexico Olios somalicus Caporiacco, 1940 – Somalia Olios spinipalpis (Pocock, 1901) – Zimbabwe Olios stictopus (Pocock, 1898) – South Africa Olios stimulator (Simon, 1897) – United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Iran? Olios strandi Kolosváry, 1934 – New Guinea Olios suavis (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876) – Cyprus, Israel, Egypt Olios subadultus Mello-Leitão, 1930 – Brazil Olios sulphuratus (Thorell, 1899) – Cameroon Olios sungaya (Barrion & Litsinger, 1995) – Philippines (Mindanao) Olios suung Jäger, 2012 – China, Laos Olios sylvaticus (Blackwall, 1862) – Brazil Olios tamerlani Roewer, 1951 – New Guinea Olios taprobanicus Strand, 1913 – Sri Lanka Olios tarandus (Simon, 1897) – Pakistan Olios tener (Thorell, 1891) – Pakistan, India, Myanmar Olios tiantongensis (Zhang & Kim, 1996) – China Olios tigrinus (Keyserling, 1880) – Peru Olios tikaderi Kundu, Biswas & Raychaudhuri, 1999 – India Olios triarmatus Lessert, 1936 – Mozambique Olios trifurcatus (Pocock, 1900) – Cameroon Olios uniprocessus Hu, Zhang & Liu, 2025 – China Olios ventrosus Nicolet, 1849 – Chile Olios vitiosus Vellard, 1924 – Brazil Olios wroughtoni (Simon, 1897) – India Olios yucatanus Chamberlin, 1925 – Mexico Olios zulu Simon, 1880 – South Africa

References

1. "Gen. Olios Walckenaer, 1837". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2025-10-11.
2. Jäger, Peter (2020). "The spider genus Olios Walckenaer, 1837 (Araneae: Sparassidae) – Part 1: species groups, diagnoses, identification keys, distribution maps and revision of the argelasius-, coenobitus- and auricomis-groups". Zootaxa. 4866 (1): zootaxa.4866.1.1. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4866.1.1. PMID   33311200. S2CID   226330426.

External links

• Citizen science observations for Olios at iNaturalist