Arachnids of North Carolina
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View SALTICIDAE Members: NC Records

Metacyrba floridana - a jumping spider

Taxonomy
Order: ARANEAEInfraorder: ARANEOMORPHAEFamily: SALTICIDAE                                                                                 
Identification
Online Description/Photos: Rose, Sarah. 2022. Spiders of North America. Princeton University Press; Princeton, New Jersey, USA. BugGuide Google, iNaturalist, Wikipedia, GBIFTechnical Description: Barnes, R. D. (1958). North American jumping spiders of the subfamily Marpissinae (Araneae, Salticidae). American Museum Novitates 1867: 1-50. Edwards, G. B. (2006). A review of described Metacyrba, the status of Parkella, and notes on Platycryptus and Balmaceda, with a comparison of the genera (Araneae: Salticidae: Marpissinae). Insecta Mundi 19: 193-226.
Comments: Edwards (2006) noted that “Metacyrba floridana is proportionately more slender than [the sympatric—but not syntopic—in Florida] M. taeniola, and, among other differences, has most of its leg segments bright reddish orange rather than dark like eastern M. taeniola. “The three putative species of the taeniola group [taeniola, floridana, & M. t. similis; the third being a western species] were characterized primarily by details of their color patterns and/or by their body proportions. The genitalia of these three species, according to Barnes (1958), were indistinguishable...” Nonetheless, Edwards was able to differentiate species by the relative size and shape of the male embolus, but this seems very difficult to discern without special equipment owing to the black coloration. Similarly, the female floridanas' epigyna are narrower than those of taeniola specimens, a character most useful when specimens of each species are to hand. While his "final species determinations were based on, in order, traditional genitalic characters (shape and placement of structures), measurements of external genital structure, and supporting somatic characters," those somatic characters seem consistent enough to distinguish between floridana and taeniola.
Total Length: Female 5.1-6.6mm, Male 4.5-4.6mmAdult ID: identifiable by photo of specific features and/or supplementary info
Structural Features: Look for orange-red legs II-IV, including trochanters. M. taeniola's legs are typically black through the femora at least.
Distribution in North Carolina
Comments: NC & west to Texas along the Coastal Plain
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: Purportedly xeric, but NC specimens—including those on iNaturalist—have been mostly mesic.
Observation Methods:
Abundance/Frequency:
Behavior: Often found under bark, but also on walls of buildings.
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
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 Photo Gallery for Metacyrba floridana - a jumping spider

Photos: 5

Recorded by: F. Williams on 2023-07-29
Gates Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Michael P. Morales on 2022-07-14
Cumberland Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Donald Zepp on 2022-07-03
Pamlico Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Donald Zepp on 2022-07-03
Pamlico Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Donald ZEPP on 2020-07-24
Johnston Co.
Comment: Male, found on wall of house