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 tubercles 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 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 toxins. It quickly retreats as the prey spider becomes paralysed. When its prey is immobile, it feeds by sucking out the victim's body fluids.
Species
, this genus includes 43 species:
Ero aphana (Walckenaer, 1802) – Macaronesia, Europe, North Africa, Turkey, Caucasus, Russia (Europe to Central Asia), Kazakhstan, Iran. Introduced to Réunion, Japan (Ryukyu Is.), China, Philippines, Australia (Queensland, Western Australia) Ero cachinnans Brignoli, 1978 – Bhutan Ero cambridgei Kulczyński, 1911 – Canary Islands, Europe, Turkey, Israel, Russia (Europe to Far East), Korea, Japan Ero canala Wang, 1990 – China Ero canionis Chamberlin & Ivie, 1935 – Canada, United States Ero capensis Simon, 1895 – South Africa, Eswatini Ero catharinae Keyserling, 1886 – Brazil Ero comorensis Emerit, 1996 – Comoros, Seychelles Ero eburnea Thaler, 2004 – Ivory Coast Ero felix Thaler & van Harten, 2004 – Yemen Ero flammeola Simon, 1881 – Canary Islands, Algeria, Portugal to Greece (Corfu), Ukraine, Russia (Caucasus), Turkey, Israel Ero furcata (Villers, 1789) – Azores, Europe, Turkey, Caucasus, Russia (Europe to Far East), Turkmenistan, Japan Ero furuncula Simon, 1909 – Vietnam Ero galea Wang, 1990 – China Ero ganglia Yin & Bao, 2012 – China Ero gemelosi Baert & Maelfait, 1984 – Galapagos Ero goeldii Keyserling, 1891 – Brazil Ero gracilis Keyserling, 1891 – Brazil Ero humilithorax Keyserling, 1886 – Brazil Ero japonica Bösenberg & Strand, 1906 – Russia (Far East), China, Korea, Japan Ero jiafui Yin & Bao, 2012 – China Ero kompirensis Strand, 1918 – Japan Ero koreana Paik, 1967 – Bulgaria, Ukraine, Georgia, Russia (Europe to Far East), Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, Korea, Japan Ero laeta Barrientos, 2017 – Portugal, Spain Ero lata Keyserling, 1891 – Brazil Ero lawrencei Unzicker, 1966 – Zimbabwe, South Africa Ero leonina (Hentz, 1850) – Canada, United States Ero lizae Sherwood, Henrard, Peters, Price, Hall, White, Grignet & Wilkins, 2024 – St. Helena Ero lodingi Archer, 1941 – United States Ero lokobeana Emerit, 1980 – Madagascar Ero madagascariensis Emerit, 1980 – Madagascar Ero melanostoma Mello-Leitão, 1929 – Brazil Ero mongolica Cai, Wang & Zhang, 2023 – China Ero natashae Sherwood, Henrard, Peters, Price, Hall, White, Grignet & Wilkins, 2024 – St. Helena Ero pensacolae Ivie & Barrows, 1935 – United States Ero quadrituberculata Kulczyński, 1905 – Madeira Ero salittana Barrion & Litsinger, 1995 – Philippines Ero septemspinosa Lissner, 2016 – Spain (Balearic Is.) Ero spinifrons Mello-Leitão, 1929 – Brazil Ero spinipes (Nicolet, 1849) – Chile, Argentina Ero tenebrosa Lissner, 2018 – Canary Islands Ero tuberculata (De Geer, 1778) – Europe, Russia (Europe to Central Asia), Central Asia, China (type species) Ero valida Keyserling, 1891 – Brazil
Taxonomy Sherwood revised this genus in 2023.
References