Arachnids of North Carolina
Order:
Scientific Name: Common Name: Family (Alpha):
« »
View Phalangiidae Members: NC Records

Opilio parietinus (Degeer, 1778) - No Common Name

No image for this species.
Taxonomy
Order: OPILIONESSuborder: EupnoiSuperfamily: PhalangioideaFamily: Phalangiidae                                                                                 
Comments: The sole representative of this genus in North America, where it was introduced from Europe (see Cokendolpher and Holmberg, 2018)
Species Comment: The type locality is Sweden but may have originated in the Caucasus and Asia Minor (Hillyard and Sankey, 1989)
Identification
Online Description/Photos: BugGuide Google, iNaturalist, Wikipedia, GBIFTechnical Description: Hillyard and Sankey (1989)
Comments: A moderately large harvestman. The ground color is gray to brown, with the central figure on the abdomen obscure or absent (Hillyard and Sankey, 1989). A pattern of dark bars spotted with pale tubercles is present over much of the dorsal surface.
Total Length: 5.0-7.0 mm, males; 6.0-9.0 mm, females (Hillyard and Sankey, 1989)Adult ID: identifiable by photo
Structural Features: Femora of the legs are angular and along with the patellae and tibiae are provided with rows of denticles and black-tipped spines; two rows of five to eight spines are located on the top of the ocular tubercle (Hillyard and Sankey, 1989)
Distribution in North Carolina
Comments: Why this species has been found only at the summit of Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina rather than the disturbed areas around cities where it routinely occurs elsewhere is unexplained.
County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.
Opilio parietinus
Adult phenology:
 High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
 Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
 Piedmont (Pd)
 Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge