Zodarion italicum

Zodarion italicum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Zodariidae
Genus:	Zodarion
Species:	Z. italicum
Binomial name
	Zodarion italicum; (Canestrini, 1868)
Synonyms
	Enyo italica;

Zodarion italicum is a European ant-eating spider. Like the closely related Z. hamatum, it is nocturnal and captures various ant species.^[1] Z. italicum seems to be specialized in Formicinae ants. Both species are generalized mimics of orange-dark brown ants, such as Lasius emarginatus.

It is found in France, Corsica, Italy, the Balkans and Turkey. It was first discovered in Britain in 1984, where it is widespread in the Grays area of Essex and occurs among rubble on waste ground and in chalk quarries, often with the ant Lasius niger.^[2]

References[]

^ Pekár, S., Král, J., Malten, A. & Komposch, C. (2005). Comparison of natural histories and karyotypes of two closely related ant-eating spiders, Zodarion hamatum and Z. italicum (Araneae, Zodariidae). Journal of Natural History 39(19):1583-1596. Abstract^{[permanent dead link]} - doi:10.1080/00222930400016762
^ National History Museum: Details for Zodarion italicum (1993)

[Pekar2005-1] Pekár, S., Král, J., Malten, A. & Komposch, C. (2005). Comparison of natural histories and karyotypes of two closely related ant-eating spiders, Zodarion hamatum and Z. italicum (Araneae, Zodariidae). Journal of Natural History 39(19):1583-1596. Abstract^{[permanent dead link]} - doi:10.1080/00222930400016762

[NBN1993-2] National History Museum: Details for Zodarion italicum (1993)

[1]

[2]