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. Most species are daytime hunters and live together with ants, mimicking their behavior and sometimes even their chemical traits. 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 specialists.
Thaumastochilus is a spider genus of the family Zodariidae, containing two known species from South Africa.
Zodarion rubidum is a spider species of the family Zodariidae.
Akyttara is a genus of spiders in the family Zodariidae. It was first described in 1987 by Jocqué. As of 2017, it contains 5 species.
Amphiledorus is a genus of spiders in the family Zodariidae. It was first described in 2001 by Jocqué & Bosmans. As of 2017, it contains 4 species.
Antillorena is a genus of spiders in the family Zodariidae. It was first described in 1991 by Jocqué. As of 2017, it contains 3 species.
Chilumena is a genus of spiders in the family Zodariidae. It was first described in 1995 by Jocqué. As of 2017, it contains 2 species.
Hetaerica is a genus of spiders in the family Zodariidae. It was first described in 1916 by Rainbow. As of 2017, it contains 2 Australian species.
Minasteron is a genus of spiders in the family Zodariidae. It was first described in 2000 by Baehr & Jocqué. As of 2017, it contains 3 Australian species.
Nostera is a genus of spiders in the family Zodariidae. It was first described in 1991 by Jocqué. As of 2017, it contains 4 Australian species.
Omucukia is a genus of spiders in the family Zodariidae. It was first described in 2008 by Koçak & Kemal. As of 2017, it contains 2 species from Madagascar.
Platnickia is a genus of spiders in the family Zodariidae. It was first described in 1991 by Jocqué. As of 2017, it contains 5 South American species.
Psammoduon is a genus of spiders in the family Zodariidae. It was first described in 1991 by Jocqué. As of 2017, it contains 3 species found in Namibia and South Africa.
Psammorygma is a genus of African ant spiders found in the deserts of southern Africa, namely the Kalahari desert and the Namib desert. They are somewhat larger spiders, growing up to twenty millimeters in length. The carapace and chelicerae are brightly colored, while the legs and abdomen are generally a darker black or gray. They can be distinguished from other genera by a knob-like proximal extension found on the cheliceral fang and a double row of dorsal spines in a specific location. First described in 1991 by Jocqué, the name is from the Greek psammon, meaning "sand", and orugma, meaning "mine", in reference to the sandy tunnels these spiders live in. As of February 2019, it contains only three species: P. aculeatum, P. caligatum, and P. rutilans.
Pseudasteron is a genus of spiders in the family Zodariidae. It was first described in 2001 by Jocqué & Baehr. As of 2017, it contains only one species, Pseudasteron simile, found in Queensland.
Workmania is a genus of spiders in the family Zodariidae. It was first described in 2012 by Dankittipakul, Jocqué & Singtripop. As of 2017, it contains 2 Asian species.
Zodariellum is a genus of ant spiders mainly found in Central Asia. Their capture frequency and paralysis latency are different while capturing different ant species. First described in 1968 by Andreeva & Tyschchenko, many included species have been transferred to other genera and it now contains only one species, Zodariellum surprisum.
Suffrica is a genus of spiders in the family Zodariidae. It was first described in 2015 by Henrard & Jocqué. As of 2017, it contains 3 species from Kenya and Tanzania.
Laminion is a genus of south Asian ant spiders. It was first described by P. M. Sankaran, J. T. D. Caleb and P. A. Sebastian in 2020, and it has only been found in India.
Zodarion wesolowskae is a species of ant spider in the genus Zodarion that lives in Morocco. The species was first described in 2020 by Souâd Benhalima and Robert Bosmans. Only the male has been described, although Benhalima and Bosmans suggest that the female could be one of the spiders described as Zodarion trianguliferum. The spider is small, typically 3.4 mm (0.13 in) long, with a plain brown to dark brown carapace and a black abdomen which has faint white stripes. The spider is a member of the mostafai group within the genus, which lack a tooth at the end of the embolus. It can be further distinguished from other members of the genus by its very long and thin tibial apophysis. The genus Zodarion is known to use ant mimicry for both defence against predators and to deceive ants to prey on them. This attribute could be used as a form of biological pest control.
