Scytodes fusca

Scytodes fusca can be distinguished from similar taxa by its uniformly dark brown to black coloration (hence 'fusca' and 'dark common spitting spider'). It has six eyes arranged in three pairs, a highly convex cephalothorax to accommodate enlarged venom glands, and long slender legs. The species may be confused with brown recluse spiders (Loxosceles spp., family Sicariidae), which share the six-eyed condition and similar eye arrangement; however, Scytodes has a more domed cephalothorax, lacks the violin-shaped marking typical of Loxosceles, and has distinctive spitting behavior. Unlike the ornate markings of Scytodes thoracica, S. fusca is relatively plain in coloration.

Frequently found in human dwellings, particularly houses. In natural habitats, has been recorded from Fynbos, Grassland, Nama Karoo, Savanna, and Thicket biomes in South Africa, at elevations from 16 to 1,618 meters above sea level.

Native to Central and South America; introduced and established in St. Helena, Europe, tropical Africa, Seychelles, India (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka), Myanmar, Indonesia, China, Japan, Hawaii, and numerous Caribbean islands including Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Saint Martin, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, Saba, Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Barbados, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Recorded from six provinces in South Africa.

Preys on insects and other spiders. Hunts by stalking prey cautiously, then projecting sticky venom from the fangs in a rapid-fire barrage that adheres prey to the substrate. The venom solidifies into elastic threads that contract to bind prey tightly.

Females wrap eggs loosely in a thin sheet of silk and carry the egg sac beneath the body. Average clutch size is 20-40 eggs.

Nocturnal cursorial hunter. Exhibits unusual social behavior for spiders: tolerant of most conspecific intruders on the web, with adults sometimes living communally. Adults display aggression toward other adults by charging, chasing, and spitting. Courtship involves both sexes tapping on the web. Males often remain with females for a period after mating. Adults show higher cannibalism toward third instar juveniles than toward first and second instars, suggesting mechanisms of intraspecific recognition related to developmental stage.

Frequently encountered in houses; not considered dangerous to humans despite enlarged venom glands. Listed as Least Concern in South Africa due to wide range and absence of significant threats. Protected in Karoo National Park and Kruger National Park.

• Scytodes thoracicaBoth are spitting spiders with similar hunting behavior and body plan; S. thoracica has ornate markings while S. fusca is uniformly dark
• Loxosceles spp. (brown recluse spiders)Both have six eyes in three pairs and may be confused, but Loxosceles lacks the highly convex cephalothorax and spitting behavior; S. fusca is not dangerously venomous to humans
• Pholcus phalangioides (cellar spiders)Similar long-legged appearance and tangled web-building in some Scytodes species; distinguished by eye count (eight in Pholcidae vs. six in Scytodidae) and spitting behavior

• spitting spider
• social spider
• cosmopolitan
• introduced species
• nocturnal
• cursorial hunter
• venom projection

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
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• Bug Eric: Spider Sunday: Spitting Spiders
• The spitting spider, Scytodes fusca Walckenaer (Araneae, Scytodidae): Its distribution in South India and natural history notes
• The evolution of sociality in the spitting spider, Scytodes fusca (Araneae: Scytodidae)—evidence from observations of intraspecific interactions
• On the Antillean spiders of the genus Scytodes Latreille, 1804 (Araneae, Scytodidae)