Arachnids of North Carolina
Order:
Scientific Name: Common Name: Family (Alpha):
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Sole representative of Caddidae in NC
NC Records

Caddo agilis Banks 1892 - No Common Name

No image for this species.
Taxonomy
Order: OPILIONESSuborder: EupnoiSuperfamily: CaddoideaFamily: Caddidae                                                                                 
Comments: One of two species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Shear, 1975a; Cokendolpher and Lee, 1994). Only Caddo agilis has been recorded in North Carolina.
Identification
Online Description/Photos: BugGuide Google, iNaturalist, Wikipedia, GBIFTechnical Description: Shear (1975a)
Comments: A moderately small but long-legged harvestmen. Easily recognized by the very large eyes that take up most of the surface of the cephalothorax. The dorsal surface of the body is dark purplish brown, with a distinctive white dorsal stripe that runs from the top of ocular tubercle onto the abdomen; the sides are silvery-white and pale intersegmental bands are also present on the dorsum of the abdomen (Shear, 1975a; Schultz, 2018). The huge eyes distinguish species from all of our other harvestmen except Acropsopilio boopis. That species is much smaller, however, and lacks the distinctive white dorsal stripe.
Total Length: 3 mm (Shear, 1975a)Adult ID: identifiable by photo
Structural Features: This species is probably parthenogenic with only a very males having ever been observed (Shear, 1975a).
Distribution in North Carolina
Comments: All of our records come from the Black Mountains, including the lower slopes of Mt. Mitchell. This species is primarily northern, occurring from New England and southern Canada west to the Ohio Valley (Shear, 1975a). The Cowee Mountains in North Carolina appear to represent the southernmost extent of its range.
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)

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Habitats and Life History
Habitats: Shear (1975a) reports that this species humid, densely shaded forests, often where hemlocks are present. Hoffman (1955), on the other hand, found this species in fairly dry forests and cliffs in Virginia and believed it has a preference for dry habitats. Our records are all from relatively low elevations.
Observation Methods: This species is active during the day and on the surface of the ground and is probably best found by direct search
Abundance/Frequency:
Behavior: This species is active on the surface of the ground and well as on trees. It runs very rapidly and is hard to catch due to its good vision (Shear, 1975a)
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status: [W3]
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: [GNR] [SH]
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: We have only three distinct records for this species, all historic. As a species associated with cool, humid, cove forests, this species is likely to be threatened by the loss of hemlocks due to the depredations of the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid. It probably was extirpated from large areas in the past to due to extensive timber harvests in our mountains. It will likely to decline in the future due to the warming and drying impacts of global climate change.