Arachnids of North Carolina
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Common Spiders of NC
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Comments
Order:
Araneae - Spiders
Opiliones - Harvestmen
Pseudoscorpiones - Pseudoscorpions
Scorpiones - Scorpions
Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Family (Alpha):
ACROPSOPILIONIDAE-
AGELENIDAE-Funnel Weavers
AMAUROBIIDAE-Hacklemesh Weavers
ANTRODIAETIDAE-Folding Trapdoor Spiders
ANYPHAENIDAE-Ghost Spiders
ARANEIDAE-Orb Weavers
ATYPIDAE-Purseweb Spiders
BUTHIDAE-
CADDIDAE-
CHEIRACANTHIIDAE-
CHEIRIDIIDAE-
CHELIFERIDAE-
CHERNETIDAE-
CHTHONIIDAE-
CICURINIDAE-
CLUBIONIDAE-Sac Spiders
CORINNIDAE-Antmimics and Ground Sac Spiders
COSMETIDAE-Armoured harvestmen
CTENIDAE-Wandering Spiders
CYBAEIDAE-
DEINOPIDAE-Ogrefaced spider
DESIDAE-
DICTYNIDAE-Mesh Web Weavers
DYSDERIDAE-
EUCTENIZIDAE-Wafer-lid Trapdoor Spiders
FILISTATIDAE-
GARYPINIDAE-
GNAPHOSIDAE-Ground Spiders
HAHNIIDAE-
HALONOPROCTIDAE-
HYPOCHILIDAE-
LARCIDAE-
LEPTONETIDAE-
LINYPHIIDAE-Sheetweb and Dwarf Spiders
LIOCRANIDAE-Liocranid Sac Spiders
LYCOSIDAE-Wolf Spiders
MICROHEXURIDAE-
MIMETIDAE-Pirate spiders
MYSMENIDAE-
NEOBISIIDAE-
NEPHILIDAE-
NESTICIDAE-Scaffold Web Spiders
OECOBIIDAE-Wall spiders
OONOPIDAE-
OXYOPIDAE-Lynx Spiders
PHALANGIIDAE-
PHALANGODIDAE-Armoured harvestmen
PHILODROMIDAE-Running Crab Spiders
PHOLCIDAE-
PHONOGNATHIDAE-
PHRUROLITHIDAE-
PISAURIDAE-Nursery Web Spiders
SABACONIDAE-
SALTICIDAE-Jumping Spiders
SCLEROSOMATIDAE-
SCYTODIDAE-
SEGESTRIIDAE-
SICARIIDAE-
SPARASSIDAE-Giant Crab Spiders
STERNOPHORIDAE-
TARACIDAE-
TETRAGNATHIDAE-Long-jawed Orb Weavers
THERIDIIDAE-Cobweb Spiders
THERIDIOSOMATIDAE-Ray Spiders
THOMISIDAE-Crab Spiders
TITANOECIDAE-
TRACHELIDAE-
TRIAENONYCHIDAE-Armoured harvestmen
TRIDENCHTHONIIDAE-
ULOBORIDAE-Cribellate Orb Weavers
VAEJOVIDAE-
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Sclerosomatidae Members:
Hadrobunus fusiformis
Hadrobunus maculosus
Hadrobunus unidentified species
Leiobunum aldrichi
Leiobunum bracchiolum
Leiobunum calcar
Leiobunum crassipalpe
Leiobunum davisi
Leiobunum euserratipalpe
Leiobunum flavum
Leiobunum formosum
Leiobunum hoffmani
Leiobunum nigropalpi
Leiobunum politum
Leiobunum speciosum
Leiobunum unidentified species
Leiobunum uxorium
Leiobunum ventricosum
Leiobunum verrucosum
Leiobunum vittatum
Leiobunum zimmermani
Nelima elegans
NC
Records
Leiobunum ventricosum
(Wood, 1868) - No Common Name
Taxonomy
Order:
OPILIONES
Suborder:
Eupnoi
Superfamily:
Phalangioidea
Family:
Sclerosomatidae
Comments:
Approximately 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.
Species Comment:
Placed in the Early-season Leiobunum Species Group by Burns et al. (2012) based on its overwintering as a juvenile as well as genetic analysis. In North Carolina, this groups also includes L. flavum and verrucosum.
Identification
Online Description/Photos:
BugGuide
Google
,
iNaturalist
,
Wikipedia
,
GBIF
Technical Description:
Davis (1934), Shultz (2018)
Comments:
This species is somewhat larger but otherwise similar to Leiobunum flavum. The coloration of the body, palps, and legs is light golden brown; a dark central figure is more prominent in this species than in flavum and is often partially outlined in white, especially towards the anterior (Shultz, 2018).
Total Length:
7–8 mm, males; 10–12 mm, females (Shultz, 2018)
Adult ID:
identifiable by photo of specific features and/or supplementary info
Structural Features:
Both males and females have strongly pointed abdomens, unlike flavum where it is either truncated or bluntly rounded (Davis, 1934; Shultz, 2018). The metapeltidium is bounded by comparatively wide membranes in flavum but is more sclerotized in ventricosm (Shultz, Harvestmen of Maryland website).
Structural photos
Apex of penis. Specimen collected by J.B. Sullivan, Ashe County, 2019-07-06
Distribution in North Carolina
Comments:
North Carolina records come from along the Blue Ridge Escarpment, from the Swannanoa Valley to Blowing Rock
County Map:
Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Adult phenology:
High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
Piedmont (Pd)
Coastal Plain (CP)
Click on graph to enlarge
Habitats and Life History
Habitats:
In Maryland, L. ventricosum is most common in moist woodlands (Shultz, 2018).
Observation Methods:
Overwinters as juveniles and matures in the spring; probably day-active and best found by direct searches in likely habitats
Abundance/Frequency:
We currently have too few records from North Carolina to judge its frequency of occurrence or abundance
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks:
[GNR] [S3S4]
State Protection:
Arachnids are not protected under state law, although permits are needed to collect them in State Parks and other public and private nature preserves
Comments:
Although we have only three records for this species in our database, there are a number of well-vetted photographs on BugGuide from sites in North Carolina. This species does not seem likely to be limited by habitat and may turn out to be found over a fairly wide range in the Mountains.
Photo Gallery for
Leiobunum ventricosum
- No common name
Photos: 8
Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2021-05-24
Henderson Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2021-05-05
Graham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2021-05-05
Graham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2019-06-01
Stokes Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2019-06-01
Stokes Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Owen McConnell on 2018-08-03
Graham Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2018-06-14
Yancey Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Ken Kneidel on 2018-06-14
Yancey Co.
Comment:
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