Bug FAQEuropean Ant-eating Spider
Zodarion rubidum · Order: Araneae · Family: Zodariidae
The European ant-eating spider is a tiny spider, only up to about 5 mm long. It lives on open ground at dusk and night, originally from southwestern France but now also in central Europe, the United States and Canada. It feeds mainly on ants such as Tetramorium caespitum and Lasius platythorax, and it mimics red ants like Myrmica sabuleti in appearance and behavior.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It belongs to the ant-eating spider family Zodariidae. The spider looks and moves like an ant.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults grow to about 5 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It walks across open ground during evenings and nights.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It preys on ants, especially Tetramorium caespitum and Lasius platythorax.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
It is active in the evening and at night.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It originated in southwestern France and has spread into central Europe. It has been introduced to the United States and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It resembles ants in shape and behavior.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 14 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Colorado, Ohio, Washington, Indiana, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Illinois.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in North America; introduced in United States; introduced in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do European ant-eating spiders eat?
They mainly feed on ants, especially Tetramorium caespitum and Lasius platythorax.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find these spiders?
They are native to southwestern France, now also in central Europe, and have been introduced to the United States and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell them apart from real ants?
They look like ants and even mimic red ants such as Myrmica sabuleti, but they are spiders about 5 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodarion_rubidum
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-29 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-29.