ogre-faced spider

ogre-faced spider, any member of the family Deinopidae (order Araneida). One pair of eyes is unusually large, producing an ogrelike appearance. The spiders primarily occur throughout the tropics. One genus, Deinopis, the net-casting spider, carries a web that is thrown over prey.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.