Arachnids of North Carolina
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Pelegrina exigua
a jumping spider		...Gates County, Montgomery County.........
Hentzia palmarum
Longjawed jumping spider		...bog, old field.........
Pelegrina proterva
a jumping spider		...bog, old field.........
Pelegrina galathea
peppered jumper		...bog, old field.........
Neoscona arabesca
Arabesque orbweaver		This species' nomenclature has been stable since 1936. Interestingly, Simon erected the genus Neoscona in 1864 when he was only 16 years old, but his mastery of Greek seems to have been rather "shaky" (Look Who's Talking Dept. --dbz): It is relatively clear that he meant "spinning among the reeds," but Neoscona translates literally as "spinning a reed." In 1869, Thorell charitably tried to correct this with the spelling "Neoschoena," but this was rejected by Bonnet (1958) who decided that the original spelling should be retained "even if incorrectly written"—although he agreed with Thorell.

The specific epithet arabesca probably refers to the arabesque style of surface decorations.

...old field, grass bald, forest edge. Most abundant in open areas..........
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Tetragnatha viridis
Green longjawed orbweaver		...Frequently found on living pine needles .........
Vonones sayi
Say's Armored Harvestman		Vonones sayi is one of two species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Kury, 2003), both of which occur in North Carolina A moderately small Armored Harvestman, with a flattened body and somewhat bowed legs, particularly the posterior pair. The body color is fuscous to ferruginous brown. Narrow yellow or whitish lines ar...Found under logs and rocks on the ground and under the bark of standing snags. In the Piedmont, observations come primarily from wet to mesic hardwood forests....This species may be found mainly in the spring and fall by searching under logs and boards....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] S3S5This species appears to be associated with mesic forests. More information needs to be obtained about its overall distribution, population sizes, and habitat associations before its conservation statu...
Larinioides cornutus
Furrow orbweaver		Pronounced lar-i-nee-OY-deez, and presumably named for the ancient Italian town of Larinium, with the suffix "oides" meaning "similar to." Formerly placed in genera Araneus, Nuctenea, and Epeira. Abdomen is a smooth round oval, shiny with few hairs. Can be gray to brown with a dark folium that is darkest at the margins. Sides of abdomen, below the dark folium is pale and unmarked, unlike oth...forests or damp areas especially near bodies of waters such as large lake shores. Can build on buildings, bridges and other structures....Visual observation, beat sheets....This species is common throughout its range and currently has no special conservation status....
Neoscona crucifera
a spotted orbweaver		This species has borne many scientific names since its original description as Epiera crucifera by Lucas in 1898, including E. lentiginosa, E. hentzii, E. domiciliorum, Aranea c., Neoscona benjamina, N. arkansa, N. nebraskensis, N. sacra, N. hentzii, and N. hentzi.

Interestingly, Simon erected the genus Neoscona in 1864 when he was only 16 years old, and his mastery of Greek seems to have been rather "shaky" (Look Who's Talking Dept. --dbz): It is relatively clear that he meant "spinning among the reeds," but Neoscona translates literally as "spinning a reed." In 1869, Thorell charitably tried to correct this with the spelling "Neoschoena," but this was rejected by Bonnet (1958) who decided that the original spelling should be retained "even if incorrectly written"—although he agreed with Thorell.

The specific epithet crucifera references the cross-like markings that sometimes are visible on the opisthosomata of these spiders.

While the marking of N. crucifera can be confused with those of N. domiciliorum, the adult females can readily be distinguished by the former's much longer and distinctly lobed scape. ...disturbed forest, often near buildings.........
Xysticus funestus
a ground crab spider		...Durham.........
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Hypochilus pococki - central clade
A Lampshade Spider		............
Araneus pegnia
Butterfly orbweaver		Abdomen has distinctive four oval areas that vaguely resemble a pair of butterfly wings. These oval areas are usually pale, sometimes even pink in color. Behind these pale light spots on the abdomen...forest, shrubby areas, wet areas including bogs, buildings; in Rhododendron maximum. These spiders often build their webs in low shrubby vegetation, but webs can also be found under the eaves of bu...Sweep net, beating.......
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.......
Eustala emertoni
an orbweaver		Legs with only femora banded, abdomen oval without hump, which separates this from others in the genus. Males difficult to distinguish from others in the genus....forest edge, fields, pine forest, marshes....Sweep netting.......
Trachelas similis
a cuspuled spider		Considered to be in the "speciosus group" of Trachelas. Superficially very similar to other trachelid spp. in NC, but has numerous trichobothria on legs. Can also be determined by genitalia............
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Micrathena mitrata
white micrathena		Originally described by Hentz as Epeira mitrata in 1850, it was later transferred to the genus Micrathena, which had been erected in 1833 by Sundevall. "Micrathena": from the Greek adjective for "small" and the name of the goddess Athena, patroness of domestic arts and handicrafts, especially spinning and weaving; "mitrata" from the Latin for "cap" or "turban."White abdomen with dark markings and having 4 points (usually black) on posterior end....low forest understory, particularly in humid areas.........
Emblyna altimara
a mesh web spider		Formerly Dictyna savanna ...Intertidal grasses.........
Philodromus undarum
a running crab spider		This species is related to Philodromus marxi Keyserling but differs in that the lateral tibial apophysis is wider and more triangular at the tip.............
Phrurotimpus illudens
a phrurolithid		...This is a common species on the floor of maritime shrub communities..........
Clubiona nicholsi
a leafcurling sac spider		...Both Clubiona nicholsi and C. plumbi are abundant in maritime areas, but they are very sharply separated in their ecological distribution. Clubiona plumbi is most abundant in the xeric habitats, suc.........
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Clubiona plumbi
a leafcurling sac spider		...Both Clubiona nicholsi and C. plumbi are abundant in maritime areas, but they are very sharply separated in their ecological distribution. Clubiona plumbi is most abundant in the xeric habitats, suc.........
Clubiona littoralis
a leafcurling sac spider		...This species is not abundant but was occasionally swept from salt marsh grass. .........
Varacosa shenandoa
a wolf spider		Formerly trochosa...This species is very common on the floor of dune grass communities....In contrast to V. avara, V. shenandoa is mature only during the winter months, at least in the Beaufort region. Adults, including females with egg cases and young, were collected from November through......
Singa keyserlingi
an orbweaver		............
Phycosoma lineatipes
a cobweb spider		Formerly Dipoena lineatipes ............
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Schizocosa humilis ?
a wolf spider		Formerly S. episma and Lycosa episma...bog .........
Schizocosa salsa
a wolf spider		MALE: COLOR: Carapace with a median longitudinal yellow band beginning at second eye row. Band slightly invaded by black pigment at level of third eye row, expanded slightly behind middle of carapac...Saltwater Marshes and Flats.........
Trichonephila clavata
an orbweaver		Its being a strikingly large and distinctly colored orb weaver, it would be hard to misidentify. While being notably smaller, the males have the same general markings as the females.............
Steatoda grossa
false black widow		Can be found in mid-20th Century literature as Teutana grossa.While bearing the American Arachnological Society's recognized common name "false black widow," many specimens are not black, but a purplish-brown, with white markings. The black individuals have no r...in/on buildings, other sheltered locations.........
Florinda coccinea
Black-tailed red sheetweaver, scarlet sheetweaver		The black caudal tubercle is the key. Once you see a bright orange spider in a horizontal web with this feature it is almost always Florinda coccinea. Ceraticelus or other orange Erigonids don't have ...old field, bog, grass bald, roadside grass.........
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Maevia
Maevia undescribed species B		To be described by GB EdwardsMales with the yellow head and palps. Females have short yellow stripes between the eyes of the front row....Most Maevia like shrubs (like rhododendron), tree saplings (eg white oak), and vines (eg grapevine) with large leaves.........
Maevia undescribed species D
Maevia undescribed species D		To be described by GB EdwardsThis species is dimorphic, and has been found from ~ 3000-4600', mostly on Rhododendron maximum, but recently also on a broad leaved Solidago. Females and juveniles tend to have a black head where the...Most Maevia like shrubs (like rhododendron), tree saplings (eg white oak), and vines (eg grapevine) with large leaves.........
Agelenopsis pennsylvanica
a grass spider		Agelenopsis pennsylvanica has enjoyed a relatively stable taxonomic history since having been originally described as Agelena pennsylvanica by C.L. Koch, 1843. It changed names a few times in the 19th Century, but has remained in Agelenopsis since 1941.This is the grayist of our 5 known NC species. The abdomen is often a variegated brown, with a lighter, often rusty-colored central band distinct markings. Has a distinct, dusky "V" shaped sternum mar...old field, meadows, grassy areas, occasionally in open woods and on human structures; funnel/sheet web.........
Agelenopsis naevia
a grass spider		Agelenopsis naevia has a relatively stable taxonomic history, having been originallly described as Agelena naevia by Walckenaer, 1841. It changed names a few times in the 19th Century, but has been stable in Agelenopsis since 1941.This is probably the most common as well as the largest and darkest of our 5 known NC Agelenopsis species. The abdomen is often brown and lacking distinct markings. It also often lacks the "V" shaped ...road, rock outcrops, stone walls open fields, shrubs and bushes; funnel/sheet web.........
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.........
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Agelenopsis emertoni
a grass spider		Agelenopsis emertoni has a stable taxonomic history, having been described as such by Chamberlin & Ivie, 1935.A. emertoni is generally yellowish in color and may have a broad dark band on the abdominal venter; if present, it is usually not as dark as on other species--more commonly, it is two thin lines with ...Usually taken in old fields and meadows; funnel/sheet web.........
Agelenopsis kastoni
a grass spider		Agelenopsis kastoni has a stable taxonomic history, having been described as such by Chamberlin & Ivie, 1941.A. kastoni is grayish in color with a broad dark band on the abdominal venter that my be represented by two dark lines bordering a light area (similar to A. emertoni, q.v.). A "V" shaped mark on its s...mature forest, funnel in low branches; captured in pitfall trap in pine stand with young hardwoods.........
Theridion frondeum
a cobweb spider		Thick black stripe on carapace...forest understory, forest edge, old field; small web under live leaf.........
Hypochilus pococki
A Lampshade Spider		central clade...sheltered rock outcrops in forest; lampshade web ......G4G5 S4...
Grammonota inornata
a dwarf spider		...Kaston (1948) reported this species being found under leaves, but also "in greatest abundance [in Connecticut ] on open beaches under dry eel-grass and other weeds.".........
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Misumenoides formosipes
whitebanded crab spider		Walckenaer first described this species in 1837 as Thomisus formosipes, but in the very same publication he referenced T. flavescens 15 pages later, and then another 10 pages later mentioned T.pardus, each of which was ultimately synonymized with formosipes, its being the first name used in that one publication. Ten years later, Hentz sympathized with the difficulty of differentiating among these crab spiders, and lumped them together as T. aleatorious.

The aleatori[us|a] epithet stuck with the species for almost a century until Chamberlin and Ivie considered it to be a synonym of formosipes, belonging in Petrunkevitch's 1911 genus Misumenoides, where is has been since 1965.

...old field, bog; often on flowers.........
Schizocosa floridana
a wolf spider		............
Mecaphesa celer
Swift crab spider		This species was originally described with two different specific epithets in the genus Thomisus by Walckenaer in 1837, but neither of those names was commonly used.

In 1847, Hentz described it as T. celer (Latin, meaning "swift"), and as this epithet was referenced frequently it was thus declared "protected" and has remained.

After surviving another 9 synonymous names, celer was placed in the genus Misumenops, where it remained until 2008 when Lehtinen and Marusik redefined Mesuminops, and placed celer (and some other species) in Mecaphesa.

Could be confused with Misumena vatia, but Mecaphesa has prominent spines on the dorsal prosoma and opisthosoma, which spines are lacking in Misumena....Fort Bragg, Cumberland County.........
Sphodros rufipes
redlegged purseweb spider		The first mention of rufipes, a red-legged purseweb spider as from the US, was by Latreille (1829), written in French, and crediting one "M. Milbert" for its discovery. A few years later, Lucas (1834) repeated this record almost verbatim, but subsequently described and illustrated the same species under the name bicolor. He mentioned Latreille's rufipes in a footnote and indicated that he did not know whether his species was the same as that of Latreille.

There can be little doubt that Walckenaer (1837) actually had before him Latreille's specimen from somewhere near Philadelphia when he described the species again as Sphodros milberti.

In retrospect, it seems almost certain that the names rufipes, bicolor, and milberti were all based on the same specimen, a male sent as a gift to the Paris Museum by M. Milbert sometime before 1829 (emphasis added).

    Paraphrased from Gertsch and Platnick (1980).

The above-ground portions of the tube are vertical and attached at the upper end, often to tree trunks; smaller hardwood trees appear to be preferred but pines and grass are used in at least some area...Often found in wooded areas with sandy loam soil..........
Mecaphesa asperata
Northern crab spider		This species was originally described by Walckenaer in 1837 as Thomisus asperatus (Latin, meaning "rough"). During the 19th Century, it was placed in the genera Misumena, Misumessus and Misumenops (subsequently remaining in the third of those genera throughout the 20th Century). In 2008 Lehtinen and Marusik redefined Mesuminops, and placed asperata (and some other species) in Mecaphesa....old field, bog.........
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Anelosimus studiosus
a cobweb spider		Colors vary, including brown, tan, red or greenish. Prosoma usually with dark margin and central band, but these may be lacking. Opisthosoma has wavy, central dorsal band having white margins....old field, yards; shrubs, red cedar trees.........
Tmarus rubromaculatus
a crab spider		Very similar to T. angulatus in appearance. This species has LI femora >1.5X the length of the carapace, while angulatus's ratio is ca. 1.5X...SC; near lake shore.........
Gnaphosa sericata
a ground spider		The taxonomic status of this species has been relatively stable since the middle of the 20th Century. "Gnaphosa sericata may be distinguished from all other Nearctic Gnaphosa by the extremely long embolus, coiled three times around the bulb [...] and the coiled epigynal ducts and sperma...SC; forest edge.........
Misumena vatia
goldenrod crab spider		Described in 1757 as vatius from the Latin vati, which can mean either "bow-legged" or "prophet." It was originally placed in the genus Araneus (hence the initial "vatius" for gender agreement), but back then, almost all spiders were called "Araneus something-or-other." In 1804, it was placed in the genus Misumena (meaning "being hated"), only to bounce around nomenclaturally with >20 names for the better part of that century. It was ultimately restored to Misumena in 1872, where it has remained with only trivial exception.Similar in appearance to Misumenoides formosipes (q.v.), but Misumenoides has a "carina," i.e. a prominent, transverse, white ridge on the clypeus, while Misumena vatia does not....old field, forest.........
Neoscona domiciliorum
a spotted orbweaver		This species was originally described in 1847 by Hentz as Epeira domiciliorum, retaining that name until until 1892, when Keyserling described it as E. benjamini. Ultimately, benjamina was sunk as a synonym and became Neoscona crucifera, while the entire family Epeiridae was sunk as being but a part of the Araneidae and the genus Epeira declared to be a junior synonym of Araneus, the species ended up as N. domiciliorum! (Yeah, it's complicated.)Variable markings and colors can make this species difficult to determine, as it may be confused with other Neoscona spp....forest, shrubby areas, frequently on man-made structures..........