About Euryopis episinoides (Walckenaer, 1847)
Euryopis episinoides (Walckenaer, 1847) is a species of spider belonging to the family Theridiidae. It is native to the Mediterranean region, and has been introduced to South Africa, where it is commonly called the black ant eating comb-foot spider. Its native distribution covers Cape Verde, and the area stretching from the Mediterranean region to Turkey, Georgia, and Israel. It has been introduced to South Africa, Réunion, India, and China. In South Africa, the species occurs across the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, and Western Cape provinces. Notable locations where it is found include Addo Elephant National Park, Table Mountain National Park, and Kruger National Park. This ground-dwelling spider lives across a wide range of habitats at altitudes between 37 and 1909 meters above sea level. It is associated with ants, and is often sampled in large numbers from agricultural areas including cotton crops, minneola plantations, maize fields, vineyards, and pear orchards. It is a common species across its native Mediterranean region.
