Hawaiian Happy-face Spider vs Round-bodied Scydmaenine

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Hawaiian Happy-face Spider Round-bodied Scydmaenine
Scientific Name Theridion grallator Scydmaenus tarsatus
Order Araneae Coleoptera
Family Theridiidae Staphylinidae
Size 5 mm body length 1-2 mm
Habitat Forests Forests
Diet Omnivores Predators
Regions Hawaii Europe
Conservation Endangered Least Concern

Hawaiian Happy-face Spider

A tiny Hawaiian spider with markings on its abdomen that resemble a smiling face. It is endemic to the rainforests of four Hawaiian islands.

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Did You Know?

The smiley-face pattern is thought to confuse predators by disrupting recognition of the spider shape.

Round-bodied Scydmaenine

A minute, convex rove beetle of the subfamily Scydmaeninae with a distinctively constricted waist between thorax and abdomen. It is a specialized predator of armored mites in forest soil.

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Did You Know?

This tiny beetle has evolved specialized mandibles that can crack open the heavily armored shells of oribatid mites, prey that most other predators cannot exploit.