Eusparassus is a genus of huntsman spiders, known as the stone huntsman spiders, it was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1903.
Description They are medium to large huntsman spiders, their bodies measuring from 10mm to 30mm. Their eyes are arranged in two rows, the anterior one being slightly recurved, while the posterior ones are relatively straight. They are pale gray to dark brown spiders, with a uniform coloration in their body. Some may have a clearly patterned body with banded legs.
Identification They can be identified by the presence of two pairs of tibial spines on the legs and distinguished from the Olios genus by the palpal bulb morphology.
Habitat They are commonly found in arid and semiarid deserts of Africa and most parts of Eurasia where they inhabit stony habitats and build retreats in crevices. They are one of the most visible arachnid predators in their habitats. They can be found in very high elevations from 3,000 to 4,000m above sea level.
Webs They make silken papery webs, which are usually found in crevices or the underside of flat stones. This webs are used as protection during molts, or as a retreat during the day. Females of this species lay their egg sacs inside the retreats.
Species
, this genus includes 33 species, found in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Peru:
Eusparassus arabicus Moradmand, 2013 – Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates Eusparassus atlanticus Simon, 1909 – Morocco Eusparassus barbarus (Lucas, 1846) – Algeria, Tunisia Eusparassus bicorniger (Pocock, 1898) – Egypt, Ethiopia, East Africa Eusparassus borakalalo Moradmand, 2013 – South Africa Eusparassus doriae (Simon, 1874) – Iran Eusparassus dufouri Simon, 1932 – Portugal, Spain. Introduced to the Netherlands (type species) Eusparassus educatus Moradmand, 2013 – Namibia Eusparassus flavidus (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1885) – China (Yarkand) Eusparassus fritschi (C. Koch, 1873) – Morocco Eusparassus fuscimanus Denis, 1958 – Afghanistan Eusparassus jaegeri Moradmand, 2013 – Botswana, South Africa Eusparassus jocquei Moradmand, 2013 – Zimbabwe Eusparassus kronebergi Denis, 1958 – Iran, Afghanistan, India Eusparassus laevatus (Simon, 1897) – Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Arabian Peninsula Eusparassus letourneuxi (Simon, 1874) – Algeria, Tunisia Eusparassus levantinus Urones, 2006 – Spain Eusparassus maynardi (Pocock, 1901) – Pakistan Eusparassus mesopotamicus Moradmand & Jäger, 2012 – Iraq, Iran, Turkey? Eusparassus oculatus (Kroneberg, 1875) – Iran, Central Asia, China Eusparassus oraniensis (Lucas, 1846) – North Africa Eusparassus pearsoni (Pocock, 1901) – India Eusparassus perezi (Simon, 1902) – Somalia, Djibouti, Arabian Peninsula Eusparassus pontii Caporiacco, 1935 – India, Pakistan Eusparassus potanini (Simon, 1895) – China Eusparassus reverentia Moradmand, 2013 – Burkina Faso, Nigeria Eusparassus schoemanae Moradmand, 2013 – Namibia, South Africa Eusparassus shefteli Chamberlin, 1916 – Peru Eusparassus syrticus Simon, 1909 – Tunisia Eusparassus tuckeri (Lawrence, 1927) – Angola, Namibia Eusparassus vestigator (Simon, 1897) – Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania Eusparassus walckenaeri (Audouin, 1826) – Greece, Turkey, Algeria, Iraq, Sudan Eusparassus xerxes (Pocock, 1901) – United Arab Emirates, Iran, Pakistan
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