Arachnids of North Carolina
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View LIOCRANIDAE Members: NC Records

Agroeca pratensis - No Common Name


Taxonomy
Order: ARANEAEFamily: LIOCRANIDAE                                                                                 
Comments: Agroeca pratensis was described by Emerton in 1890 as a member of the family Drassidae; shortly thereafter, in 1897, Simon designated it a member of the Liocraninae, a subfamily of the Clubionidae (historically, a rather unstable taxon). When the Clubionidae was split apart by Lehtinen in 1967, the subfamily was elevated to family level.
Species Comment: Platnick (2020) refers to Agroeca (sensu lato) as "fairy lamp spiders," owing to the shape of their egg sacs, and notes that the presence of these easily overlooked spiders is often detected by their uniquely shaped sacs, hanging on vegetation.
Identification
Online Description/Photos: BugGuide Google, iNaturalist, Wikipedia, GBIFTechnical Description: Kaston, B. J. (1938). North American spiders of the genus Agroeca. American Midland Naturalist 20: 562-570. Platnick, Norman I. (ed.) 2020. Spiders of the World: A Natural History. Princeton University Press; Princeton, New Jersey, USA.
Comments: While the males of A. pratensis have been confused with those of A. ornata, The epigynum of the two species is decidedly different.
Total Length: Females ca. 7mm, males ca. 5.5Adult ID: identifiable by photo of specific features and/or supplementary info
Structural Features: Adults have 3 pairs of conspicuous ventral spines on metatarsi I and II.
Structural photos

Epigynum of NCBP2441, photo by Carol Tingley.
Distribution in North Carolina
Comments: British Columbia to Nova Scotia, southward to Utah and Georgia.
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:
Observation Methods: Sifting, Berlese
Abundance/Frequency:
Prey: Ground-inhabiting insects & woodlice
Behavior: Commonly found hunting under leaves on the ground.
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks:
State Protection:
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 Photo Gallery for Agroeca pratensis - No common name

Photos: 8

Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn on 2021-10-01
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Donald ZEPP on 2021-09-10
Johnston Co.
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Recorded by: Donald ZEPP on 2021-09-10
Johnston Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Donald ZEPP on 2021-09-10
Johnston Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Carol Tingley on 2019-10-26
Wake Co.
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Recorded by: Carol Tingley on 2019-10-26
Wake Co.
Comment: See epigynum of this specimen and/or in "Structural photos," above
Recorded by: Carol Tingley on 2019-10-26
Wake Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Carol Tingley on 2019-10-26
Wake Co.
Comment: