Olios

Olios is the largest genus of huntsman spiders, containing 165 species. They are found throughout the world, with most species occurring in hot countries. The genus was first described by Charles Athanase Walckenaer in 1837.^[1]

Description

They are small to large Sparassidae, that have eight eyes in two partially straight rows. For the smaller species of this genus, they are usually light brown to brown with darker areas. Most larger species are darker, and some members of this genus may also be green. They are nocturnal hunters.^[2]

Venom

Like most spiders, members of the genus Olios are not considered dangerous to humans. While they do possess venom, it is primarily used to subdue its prey, which consists of insects. The venom is not potent enough to cause significant harm to humans, and bites may result in mild symptoms such as redness, swelling, or pain, similar to a bee sting.

Habitat

As this genus is widespread, they are found in a large variety of habitats, from savannahs to rainforest. They are mainly found in vegetation, and rarely houses. They are sometimes shipped alongside fruit, but this is not a common occurrence.^[2]

O. giganteus with prey
male Olios sp. on leaf

Species

O. argelasius
O. giganteus
O. lamarcki
O. milleti

As of September 2025, this genus includes 165 species and five subspecies.^[1]

These species have articles on Wikipedia:

Olios argelasius(Walckenaer, 1806) – Mediterranean. Introduced to Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Poland (type species)
Olios auricomis(Simon, 1880) – Gambia, Cameroon, DR Congo, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Angola, South Africa
Olios biarmatusLessert, 1925 – South Africa
Olios brachycephalusLawrence, 1938 – South Africa
Olios cheliferLawrence, 1937 – South Africa
Olios chubbiLessert, 1923 – Mozambique, South Africa
Olios correvoniLessert, 1921 – Tanzania
Olios fasciculatusSimon, 1880 – Gabon, Guinea, Congo, DR Congo, South Sudan, Tanzania, South Africa
Olios fonticola(Pocock, 1902) – South Africa
Olios freyiLessert, 1929 – DR Congo, South Africa
Olios giganteusKeyserling, 1884 – United States, Mexico
Olios greeni(Pocock, 1901) – Sri Lanka
Olios hirtus(Karsch, 1879) – Sri Lanka
Olios kruegeri(Simon, 1897) – South Africa
Olios kunziJäger, 2020 – Namibia, South Africa, Zambia?
Olios lacticolorLawrence, 1952 – South Africa
Olios lamarcki(Latreille, 1806) – Madagascar to India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh
Olios lepidusVellard, 1924 – Brazil
Olios machadoiLawrence, 1952 – South Africa
Olios marshalli(Pocock, 1898) – South Africa
Olios milleti(Pocock, 1901) – India, Sri Lanka
Olios senilisSimon, 1880 – India, Sri Lanka
Olios sherwoodiLessert, 1929 – DR Congo, Namibia, South Africa
Olios sjostedtiLessert, 1921 – Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa
Olios stictopus(Pocock, 1898) – South Africa
Olios suavis(O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876) – Cyprus, Israel, Egypt
Olios zuluSimon, 1880 – South Africa

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d"Gen. Olios Walckenaer, 1837". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-11.
^ ^a ^bJäger, Peter (2020). "The spider genus Olios Walckenaer, 1837 (Araneae: Sparassidae) – Part 1: species groups, diagnoses, identification keys, distribution maps and revision of the argelasius-, coenobitus- and auricomis-groups". Zootaxa. 4866 (1): 1–119. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4866.1.1. PMID 33311200. S2CID 226330426.

External links

Citizen science observations for Olios at iNaturalist

[wsc-1] "Gen. Olios Walckenaer, 1837". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-11.

[Jager2020-2] Jäger, Peter (2020). "The spider genus Olios Walckenaer, 1837 (Araneae: Sparassidae) – Part 1: species groups, diagnoses, identification keys, distribution maps and revision of the argelasius-, coenobitus- and auricomis-groups". Zootaxa. 4866 (1): 1–119. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4866.1.1. PMID 33311200. S2CID 226330426.

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