Wasps in the family Pompilidae are commonly called spider wasps, spider-hunting wasps, or pompilid wasps. The family is cosmopolitan, with some 5,000 species in six subfamilies. Nearly all species are solitary, and most capture and paralyze prey, though members of the subfamily Ceropalinae are kleptoparasites of other pompilids, or ectoparasitoids of living spiders.
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 termitomimus is a spider species of the family Zodariidae. Unlike other zodariid spiders, which mostly hunt and sometimes look like ants, T. termitomimus mimics termites.
Zodarion germanicum is a spider species of the family Zodariidae.
Zodarion rubidum is a spider species of the family Zodariidae.
Habronestes bradleyi is a spider species of the family Zodariidae.
Zodarion italicum is a European ant-eating spider. Like the closely related Z. hamatum, it is nocturnal and captures various ant species. Z. italicum seems to be specialized in Formicinae ants. Both species are generalized mimics of orange-dark brown ants, such as Lasius emarginatus.
Colima is a genus of spiders in the family Zodariidae, found in the state of Colima, Mexico.
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, chelicerae with fangs generally able to inject venom, and spinnerets that extrude silk. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all orders of organisms. Spiders are found worldwide on every continent except for Antarctica, and have become established in nearly every habitat with the exceptions of air and sea colonization. As of July 2019, at least 48,200 spider species, and 120 families have been recorded by taxonomists. However, there has been dissension within the scientific community as to how all these families should be classified, as evidenced by the over 20 different classifications that have been proposed since 1900.
Zodarion aurorae is a species of ant-eating spiders native to Romania.
Zodarion hamatum is a spider species found in Italy, Austria and Slovenia.
Zodarion styliferum is a spider species found in Portugal, Spain and Madeira.
Hermippus is a genus of ant eating spiders in the family Zodariidae, containing twelve species restricted to Asia and parts of Africa. Three new species were discovered in 2014.
Suffasia is a genus of ant spiders in the family Zodariidae, containing eight species restricted to India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
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.
Storosa is a genus of Australian ant spiders first described by Rudy Jocqué in 1991. As of April 2019 it contains only two species. S. obscura is a fast running spider found on the ground between litter. It can grow up to 13 millimetres (0.51 in) long and waves its front legs if threatened.
Barbara Baehr is a research scientist, entomologist, arachnologist, and spider taxonomist. She has described over 400 new spider species, mostly from Australia. She is originally from Pforzheim, Germany.
Cambonilla is a genus of Cambodian and Laotian ant spiders first described by Rudy Jocqué in 2019. As of April 2019 it contains only two species.
Suffascar is a genus of Malagasy ant spiders first described by A. Henrard & Rudy Jocqué in 2017.
Myrmecicultor is genus of araneomorph spiders. As of November 2020, it has only one species Myrmecicultor chihuahuensis, and is the only genus in the family Myrmecicultoridae. It is native to the Chihuahuan Desert, from the Big Bend region of Texas to Coahuila and Aguascalientes in Mexico. Collected specimens were associated with three species of harvester ants, Pogonomyrmex rugosus, Novomessor albisetosis, and Novomessor cockerelli, being found in pitfall traps when the ants were most active.
