Arachnids of North Carolina
50 most recent updates
Return Max of 200
sciNametaxonomic_commentsid_commentshabitatobservation_methodsstate_protectionNHP_ranksstatus_comments
Leiobunum formosumApproximately 30 species in this genus have been identified as occurring in North America north of Mexico (Cokendolpher and Lee, 1993; Ingianni et al., 2011), with 16 recorded in North Carolina. However, the validity of several of these species is suspect, with several that will probably be determined to be synonyms of other species, e.g., davisi, speciosum, and zimmermani in North Carolina Burns et al., 2012; Shultz, 2018). According to Shultz (2018), moreover, recent phylogenetic studies indicate both that more species are waiting to be described and that the name Leiobunum may eventually be restricted to European species, requiring new generic names for most, if not all, of our species.Large harvestmen, especially the females; approximately the same size as Hadrobunus maculosus. Males are uniform orange-yellow or red-brown above, with a dark optical tubercle; the central figure is w...In Tennessee, formosum is commonly encountered in stands of pine and mixed hardwoods (Townsend et al., 2006)......Arachnids are not protected under state law, although permits are needed to collect them in State Parks and other public and private nature preserves[GNR] [SU]We have only a single relatively old (1976) record for this species. While this species does not appear to be habitat limited, we need much more information on its distribution in the state, its habit...
Piratula insularis
a pirate wolf spider		 usual tuning-fork pattern on the carapace. Dorsum with distinct hastate mark and no indication of white patches of scale sas in P. piraticus . Basic color of body and legs amber ; legs not banded . V...marsh, forest edge, bog, swamp, river and pond edges..........
Scotinella brittoni............
Tetragnatha guatemalensis
a longjawed orbweaver		............
Argiope trifasciata
Banded garden spider, Banded Argiope		Large oval abdomen is crossed by a series of narrow black lines, with silver or yellow bands in between. Some females are so densely hairy that the bands are indistinct. The cephalothorax is silvery...Open areas, old fields, shrubby areas, gardens, marsh or pond edges etc. with tall grass. Webs tend to be more hidden than those of aurantia....Visual observation.......
sciNametaxonomic_commentsid_commentshabitatobservation_methodsstate_protectionNHP_ranksstatus_comments
Bassaniana versicolor
a bark crab spider		............
Hogna baltimoriana
a wolf spider		Underside of legs with black bands, H. lenta have no bands............
Marpissa bina
a jumping spider		Dorsum of abdomen may be covered with fine golden iridescent scales, and median longitudinal area between pairs of white spots may be distinctly paler than lateral portions of dorsum....Intertidal grasses.........
Phylloneta pictipes
a cobweb spider		Differs from T. frondeum by having excessively banded legs; in particular, their having bands in the middle of their leg segments as well as a dark band on the lateral edge of the carapace. Male bands...SC; sweep net.........
Peckhamia unidentified species
an antmimic jumping spider		Regarding the three species of Peckhamia P. picata – (uplands, brown to dark brown, not black) constricted abdomen, a conspicuous constriction right behind their rear eyes (the posterior laterals).............
sciNametaxonomic_commentsid_commentshabitatobservation_methodsstate_protectionNHP_ranksstatus_comments
Marpissa dentoides
a jumping spider		 This species is very close to M. lineata in coloration and structure. The male, however, can easily be separated from other members of the lineata group in having the cymbium of the palp flattened............
Marpissa sulcosa
a jumping spider		Similar to M. lineata. The dorsum of the male displays a distinctive pattern of paired spots, while in both sexes the venter lacks the median paired bands.............
Marpissa pikei
Pike Slender Jumper		............
Marpissa formosa
a jumping spider		...Merchants Millpond SP.........
Marpissa grata
a jumping spider		Carapace dark to light mahogany brown, slightly darker in ocular area and margined with a thin black band. A pair of pale brown spots behind posterior eyes and a second pair of spots behind the firs............
sciNametaxonomic_commentsid_commentshabitatobservation_methodsstate_protectionNHP_ranksstatus_comments
Menemerus bivitattus
gray wall jumper		............
Eris flava
a jumping spider		Male carapace with marginal band of white scales extending across clypeus and usually back well past the palps. Longi-tudinal white bands extending back from ALE usually narrower than in militaris. Pa...Grass and fields around swamps, marshes and rivers..........
Mangora gibberosa
Lined orbweaver		Placed in the genus Mangora since 1895, with a brief description as Abbotiana by Strand in 1929—which was considered a "superfluous generic replacement" name.Abdomen white with some brownish gold markings and two thin dark parallel lines on lower portion and some black spots on upper portion. Cephalothorax yellowish-green with a single dark line down the ...fields, forest edges, roadsides and gardens....Visual observation, sweep netting.......
Peckhamia picata
an antmimic jumping spider		Peckhamia may be easily confused with Synageles, but in Peckhamia, the carapace is not as flat, being more convex in the cephalic area, and has a sharp declevity [sic] behind the row III eyes" (1). Most Peckhamia have three pairs of ventral spines on leg I tibia (most Synageles have two pairs). The eye region occupies half of the carapace in Peckhamia and more than half the carapace in Synageles. There are also differences in the genitalia - males of Peckhamia show a spiraled embolus, while Synageles males show an embolus in the form of a "simple straight rod, curved arc, or short spike". The epigynum in Peckhamia females has sclerotized anterior rims in the form of two arcs (lacking in Synageles)P. picata legs dark with light tip............
Cybaeus giganteusseparating C. silicis from C. giganteus is primarily a value judgement based primarily on size and somewhat on leg banding: carapace length in C. giganteus females ranges from 4.5 to 5.4 mm (a relativ............
sciNametaxonomic_commentsid_commentshabitatobservation_methodsstate_protectionNHP_ranksstatus_comments
Erigone dentosa
a dwarf sheetweb weaver		............
Oxyopes aglossus
a lynx spider		...roadside grass and herbs.........
Mimetus notius
a pirate spider		Keys to M. notius due to broad figure on carapace, femora without a distinctly dark apical third, and abdomen more generally covered with dark areas than in M. puritanus ............
Acanthoctenus chickeringi
a wandering spider		............
Oxyopes salticus
striped lynx spider		...old field, meadow, bog.........
sciNametaxonomic_commentsid_commentshabitatobservation_methodsstate_protectionNHP_ranksstatus_comments
Agelenopsis utahana
a grass spider		Agelenopsis utahana has enjoyed a relatively stable taxonomic history since having been originally described as Agelena utahana by Chamberlin & Ivie, 1933. It has remained in Agelenopsis since 1941.This is a yellow to reddish brown species, not as dark as A. naevia (q.v.). Both the sternal "V" mark and the ventral abdominal band are faintly—if at all—indicated. ...deep woods, forest edge; forest floor vegetation or tree stumps; funnel/sheet web.........
Pholcus crypticolens
a cellar spider		............
Scytodes atlacoya
a spitting spider		New species described by Rheims, Brescovit & Durán-Barrón, 2007Cephalothorax light tan, with darker tan or light brown "chain" pattern. Abdomen tan to light grey, often "leopard-spotted." Occasionally the spots coalesce into small stripes or bands. Female genital...Synanthropic; indoors and out. Found behind bark, in pile of firewood, and taken by "beating" ornamental shrubbery (--dbz)....Frequently seen at night on exterior door frames and window screens.......
Clubiona rhododendri
a leafcurling sac spider		...forest, This species has been taken from rhododendron bushes and from the leaves under these bushes along streams from 2,550 feet up to 5,000 feet elevation..........
Tibellus oblongus
a slender crab spider		...sweeping lake shore.........
sciNametaxonomic_commentsid_commentshabitatobservation_methodsstate_protectionNHP_ranksstatus_comments
Theridion differens
a cobweb spider		Epigynum & palpus shown in "Structural photos," q.v....forest and forest edge.........
Castianeira unidentified species
antlike runners		............
Kaira alba
an orbweaver		Female. Carapace yellow-white with a median darker line of black spots and some straggly white setae. Sternum with tiny black spots. Legs yellowish white with tiny dark spots and narrow broken black b............
Acanthepeira venusta
an orbweaver		Similar coloration to A. stellata. Females (6-10 mm) Can be distinguished by smaller size, narrow abdomen & lighter less contrasting pattern. This is the only species that might have ventral white m...Fields, roadsides, grasses, grassy cypress, swamps, sawgrass and floating island vegetation.........
Theridion frondeum
a cobweb spider		Thick black stripe on carapace...forest understory, forest edge, old field; small web under live leaf.........
sciNametaxonomic_commentsid_commentshabitatobservation_methodsstate_protectionNHP_ranksstatus_comments
Allocosa furtiva
a wolf spider		Carapace dark red brown to black, sometimes iridescent, with few setae. Sternum dark brown. Chelicerae black. Legs dark red brown to black, sparsely covered with setae; femora and tibiae each with...moist litter on beaches. A few are from the ground in mesic, hardwood areas or in sugarcane fields..........
Allocosa absoluta
a wolf spider		Carapace dark red brown to black, usually mottled with dull yellow or orange yellow, sometimes with pale median band and submarginal rows of pale spots (Fig. 38); pale median band sometimes enclos...Grass and litter in swamps or at the edge of lakes, from pine forests, and from beaches and dunes..........
Allocosa sublata
a wolf spider		Carapace dark red brown to black, sometimes iridescent, darker at margins, with few setae. Sternum orange brown. Chelicerae dark red or red brown. Legs dark orange or red brown, sparsely covered w...soil and litter samples in moist woods.........
Allocosa mulaiki
a wolf spider		Carapace dark red brown to nearly black, sometimes iridescent, darker at margins, with few setae. Sternum orange brown. Chelicerae dark red or red brown. Legs dark orange or red brown, sparsely co...Grassy fields, lake margins, bogs, swamps, and a pine forest.........
Allocosa funerea
a wolf spider		Carapace dark red to black, often paler posteriorly, minutely and evenly punctate, with few setae. Sternum dark brown. Chelicerae dark red brown to black, paler distally. Legs with femora black, w...In grassy fields, meadows, lawns, gardens, and pine forests. A few were found wandering indoors.........
sciNametaxonomic_commentsid_commentshabitatobservation_methodsstate_protectionNHP_ranksstatus_comments
Yunohamella lyrica
a cobweb spider		described as Theridion Lyricum (Walckenaer 1841); has also been known as: T. lyra, T. Kentuckyense, Allotheridion lyricum, and Takayus lyricus.Abdomen has white median band with large black areas adjacent anteriorly; posteriorly, the black are appears as a series of spots....forest understory, forest edge.........
Eustala cepina
an orbweaver		Smaller but can resemble E. anastera, legs slightly banded, abdomen is triangular almost as wide as long; it may lack dorsal pattern, or have longitudinal line down the middle. The three species repo...low vegetation near stream, lake shores, fields, pine dunes, ponds, gardens, oak (seems to prefer wetter areas than anastera)...Sweep netting.......
Theridion flavonotatum
a cobweb spider		Consistently thick red bar on top of Prosoma...old field; small tangle web at top of plant.........
Appaleptoneta coma
a cave spider		The color and general conformation is like the species silvicultrix and gertschi but the males can be easily distinguished by the palp and its peculiar specialized hairs and spines. The tarsus of t...Sifting leaves by rivers near Gatlinburg.........
Appaleptoneta gertschi
a cave spider		The ground color is yellowish white overlaid by a granular brownish purple. The darkest parts are the sternum, edges of thorax, venter and sides of the abdomen. The dorsum of the abdomen shows a fai...forest; in leaf litter.........
sciNametaxonomic_commentsid_commentshabitatobservation_methodsstate_protectionNHP_ranksstatus_comments
Coras cavernorum
a funnel weaver		Cephalothorax with the usual markings. A dark line from posterior lateral eyes to an elongated hexagonal light area which has its posterior point on the outside of a dark hexagonal area which ends l...Small caves.........
Coras juvenilis............
Hentzia mitrata
a jumping spider		...lake edge, sweeping shrubs.........
Leucauge venusta
orchard orbweaver		The type for this species, Linyphia (Leucauge) argyrobapta White,1841, was based on a specimen collected by Charles Darwin (the only spider he's known to have documented!) during the voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle, which specimen was subsequently lost after publication of its description.

A neotype was not established until 2010 when one based on specimens collected in the type locality was established. At that time, L. venusta was declared a senior synonym of L. argyrobapta, but in 2018, argyrobapta was removed from that synonymy, and is now recognized as a separate species. These two species are grossly differentiated by geographic range (venusta is more northern and found in temperate climes, while argyrobapta is typically more tropical and coastal).

Although there may be some generalized marking difference, more precise determination requires microscopic examination of the genitalia. "Surprisingly,", according to Ballesterosa and Hormiga, 2018,these are not sister species, as their "estimated age of divergence implies that the morphologies in this two species...have remained seemingly invariable for at least 10 million years.

At this writing (2023) we (NCBP) are considering to be venusta those specimens having a single, crescent shaped ventral spot anterior to the spinnerets. (https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/arachnid/...Shrubby meadows, forest edge, urban and suburban settings (Rose, 2022)..........
Octonoba sinensis...In and around human structures.........