Arachnids of North Carolina
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View Phalangiidae Members: NC Records

Odiellus pictus (Wood 1879) - No Common Name

Taxonomy
Order: OPILIONESSuborder: EupnoiSuperfamily: PhalangioideaFamily: Phalangiidae                                                                                 
Comments: One of three species in this genus that occurs in North America (Cokendolpher and Holmberg, 2018), two of which have been recorded in North Carolina
Identification
Online Description/Photos: BugGuide Google, iNaturalist, Wikipedia, GBIFTechnical Description: Crosby and Bishop (1924); Shultz (2018); Cokendolpher and Holmberg (2018)
Comments: Both species of Odiellus are easily identified by the trident of spines at the forward margin of the cephalothorax (see Structural Features below). Odiellus pictus is a lighter brown than O. nubivagus, with the cephalothorax in particular not blackish and strongly contrasting. A brown central figure is present on the abdomen, especially in the males, but often obscure in females; the bordering areas are somewhat silvery (Cokendolpher and Holmberg, 2018). The femur of leg II is tan with brown blotches and a terminal ring of brown; in O. nubivagus, the terminal ring on this leg is absent (Cokendolpher and Holmberg).
Total Length: 5–6.5 mm (Shultz, 2018)Adult ID: identifiable by photo
Structural Features: As in Odiellus nubivagus, a trident of spines is present in front of the ocular tubercle at the forward edge of the cephalothorax. Crosby and Bishop (1924) describe and illustrate several differences in the spines and processes on the chelicerae and palps that distinguish nubivagus from pictus.
Distribution in North Carolina
Comments: Our records come mainly from the mountains, where they have been found across the entire range, from north to south. One other record record was made in the northern part of the Outer Coastal Plain but we are not sure that it represents the same species
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: Our records come from the Spruce-Fir zone at the tops of Grandfather, Roan Mountains, and Mt. Mitchell and probably from Northern Hardwood Forest on the lower slopes of Roan Mountain. Recent records come from Cove Forest in Ashe and Macon Counties. Our one Coastal Plain record comes from Pond Pine Woodlands at the edge of a large natural lake.
Observation Methods: Frequently collected by sifting leaf litter. Also observed on the surface of the leaf litter and tree trunks (Shultz, 2018)
Abundance/Frequency: This species turns up on a regular basis in leaf litter samples
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: This is a primarily northern species, with the records from North Carolina the farthest south in the Blue Ridge and along the coast (it occurs still farther south west of the mountains, with one record from Summerville, Georgia -- Bishop, 1949). More surveys are needed to better document its range, habitat associations, abundance, and population trends in North Carolina.

 Photo Gallery for Odiellus pictus - No common name

Photos: 17

Recorded by: Mark Basinger, Jim Petranka, and Becky Elkin on 2024-08-06
Mitchell Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Mark Basinger, Jim Petranka, and Becky Elkin on 2024-08-06
Mitchell Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Carol Tingley on 2023-08-05
Ashe Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn on 2023-06-17
Avery Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Carol Tingley on 2023-06-17
Avery Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Carol Tingley on 2022-06-25
Transylvania Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Carol Tingley on 2022-06-22
Jackson Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Vin Stanton on 2020-10-14
Buncombe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Carol Tingley on 2020-08-05
Avery Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Carol Tingley on 2020-08-05
Avery Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2019-07-31
Yancey Co.
Comment: 		Recorded by: Carol Tingley on 2019-07-22
Macon Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2019-07-01
Ashe Co.
Comment: Immature, collected by sifting leaf litter		Recorded by: Steve Hall on 2019-07-01
Ashe Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Carol Tingley on 2017-04-22
Washington Co.
Comment: Immature found near the water line of Lake Pettigrew in moss and litter		Recorded by: Carol Tingley on 2017-04-22
Washington Co.
Comment:
Recorded by: Carol Tingley on 2017-04-22
Washington Co.
Comment: Lateral view of palps