Epigeal
Guides
Oedothorax
dwarf spiders
Oedothorax is a genus of dwarf spiders in the family Linyphiidae, subfamily Erigoninae, first described in 1883. The genus comprises approximately 39 species distributed across Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa. These spiders are characterized by their small size, typically measuring only about 2 mm in total body length. Males of certain species, such as O. trilobatus, exhibit distinctive cephalothoracic modifications including tumor-like swellings or horn-like extensions. The genus has gained scientific attention due to O. gibbosus hosting up to five different bacterial endosymbionts simultaneously, representing a unique system for studying host-endosymbiont interactions.