''Ero'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
pirate spider
Pirate spiders, members of the family (biology), family Mimetidae, are Araneomorphae, araneomorph spiders which typically feed on other spiders.
The family (biology), family Mimetidae contains roughly 200 species divided among 12 genus, genera, ...
s first described in 1836. They resemble
comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
![Ero sp](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Ero_sp._cocoon_Bytom_2.jpg)
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs of conical
tubercles
In anatomy, a tubercle (literally 'small tuber', Latin for 'lump') is any round nodule, small eminence, or warty outgrowth found on external or internal organs of a plant or an animal.
In plants
A tubercle is generally a wart-like projection ...
and some curved bristle-like hairs. The anterior medial eyes project on small tubercles. Leg 1 is nearly twice as long as leg 4.
Their egg sacs are uniquely shaped elongated globes, about four millimetres in diameter. They are suspended from vegetation on a silken thread, and are made from an inner layer of yellowish brown
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
and an outer layer of dark coloured, loosely woven silk, giving it a "woolly" appearance. The sacs are not guarded by the female, so when the juveniles hatch, they have to fend for themselves. Since Ero species are nocturnal, the adults are not often seen and the egg sacks often reveal their presence before specimens are found.
Feeding behaviour
Spiders in this genus are specialised spider killers. They attack potential victims by biting one of its legs and injecting
toxin
A toxin is a naturally occurring organic poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. Toxins occur especially as a protein or conjugated protein. The term toxin was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849– ...
s. It quickly retreats as the
prey
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...
spider becomes
paralysed
Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...
. When its prey is immobile, it feeds by sucking out the victim's body fluids.
Species
The
World Spider Catalog
The World Spider Catalog (WSC) is an online searchable database concerned with spider taxonomy. It aims to list all accepted families, genera and species, as well as provide access to the related taxonomic literature. The WSC began as a series of ...
lists these species:
* ''
Ero aphana
''Ero aphana'' is a species of pirate spider in the family Pirate spider, Mimetidae. It is a hunting spider and feeds on other spiders.
Distribution
This spider has a palearctic distribution and is found in Western Europe, most commonly in Belgi ...
''
(Walckenaer, 1802) — Palearctic (St. Helena, Queensland, Western Australia, introduced)
* ''
Ero cachinnans
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble Theridiidae, comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs o ...
''
Brignoli, 1978 — Bhutan
* ''
Ero cambridgei
''Ero cambridgei'' is a pirate spider species with Palearctic distribution. It is notably found in Lithuania.The checklist of Lithuanian spiders (Arachnida:
Araneae). Marija Biteniekytė and Vygandas Rėlys, Biologija, 2011, Vol. 57, No. 4, p ...
''
Kulczyński, 1911 — Palearctic
* ''
Ero canala
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs of conical tu ...
''
Wang, 1990 — China
* ''
Ero canionis
''Ero canionis'' is a species of pirate spider in the family Mimetidae
Pirate spiders, members of the family Mimetidae, are araneomorph spiders which typically feed on other spiders.
The family Mimetidae contains roughly 200 species divided a ...
''
Chamberlin & Ivie, 1935 — USA
* ''
Ero capensis''
Simon, 1895 — South Africa
* ''
Ero catharinae
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs of conical tu ...
''
Keyserling, 1886 — Brazil
* ''
Ero comorensis''
Emerit, 1996 — Comoro Islands, Seychelles
* ''
Ero eburnea
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs of conical tu ...
''
Thaler, 2004 — Ivory Coast
* ''
Ero felix''
Thaler & van Harten, 2004 — Yemen
* ''
Ero flammeola
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs of conical tu ...
''
Simon, 1881 — Portugal to Corfu, Canary Islands
* ''
Ero furcata
''Ero furcata'' is a pirate spider species with Palearctic distribution. It is notably found in Lithuania and the Czech Republic.Czech Arachnological SocietCAS Distribution Map/ref>
See also
* List of Mimetidae species
References
Exter ...
''
(Villers, 1789) — Palearctic
* ''
Ero furuncula
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs of conical tu ...
''
Simon, 1909 — Vietnam
* ''
Ero galea
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs of conical tu ...
''
Wang, 1990 — China
* ''
Ero ganglia
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs of conical tu ...
''
Yin & Bao, 2012 — China
* ''
Ero gemelosi
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs of conical tu ...
''
Baert & Maelfait, 1984 — Galapagos Islands
* ''
Ero goeldii
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs of conical tu ...
''
Keyserling, 1891 — Brazil
* ''
Ero gracilis
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs of conical tu ...
''
Keyserling, 1891 — Brazil
* ''
Ero humilithorax
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs of conical tu ...
''
Keyserling, 1886 — Brazil
* ''
Ero japonica
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs of conical tu ...
''
Bösenberg & Strand, 1906 — Russia, China, Korea, Japan
* ''
Ero jiafui
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs of conical tu ...
''
Yin & Bao, 2012 — China
* ''
Ero juhuaensis''
Xu, Wang & Wang, 1987 — China
* ''
Ero kompirensis''
Strand, 1918 — Japan
* ''
Ero laeta''
Barrientos, 2017 — Portugal, Spain
* ''
Ero lata''
Keyserling, 1891 — Brazil
* ''
Ero lawrencei''
Unzicker, 1966 — South Africa
* ''
Ero leonina
''Ero leonina'' is a species of pirate spider in the family Mimetidae
Pirate spiders, members of the family Mimetidae, are araneomorph spiders which typically feed on other spiders.
The family Mimetidae contains roughly 200 species divided a ...
''
(Hentz, 1850) — USA
* ''
Ero lodingi''
Archer, 1941 — USA
* ''
Ero lokobeana''
Emerit, 1996 — Madagascar
* ''
Ero madagascariensis''
Emerit, 1996 — Madagascar
* ''
Ero melanostoma''
Mello-Leitão, 1929 — Brazil
* ''
Ero pensacolae
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble Theridiidae, comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs o ...
''
Ivie & Barrows, 1935 — USA
* ''
Ero quadrituberculata''
Kulczynski, 1905 — Madeira
* ''
Ero salittana''
Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 — Philippines
* ''
Ero spinifrons''
Mello-Leitão, 1929 — Brazil
* ''
Ero spinipes
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs of conical tu ...
''
(Nicolet, 1849) — Chile, Argentina
* ''
Ero tenebrosa''
Lissner, 2018 — Canary Islands
* ''
Ero tuberculata''
(De Geer, 1778) — Palearctic
* ''
Ero valida
''Ero'' is a genus of pirate spiders first described in 1836. They resemble comb-footed spiders due to their globular abdomen, which is higher than it is long.
Description
The upper side of their abdomen bears one or two pairs of conical tu ...
''
Keyserling, 1891 — Brazil
References
External links
{{Taxonbar, from=Q13604588
Mimetidae
Araneomorphae genera
Cosmopolitan spiders