Spiders of North Carolina

Arachnids of North Carolina

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Scientific Name: Common Name:		Family (Alpha):

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View	Araneidae Members:	NC Records
Mangora placida - tuftlegged orbweaver

Taxonomy

Order: ARANEAE	Infraorder: Araneomorphae	Family: Araneidae
Species Comment: Feminine form of Placidus, Latin for "placid, gentle, quiet, still, calm, mild, peaceful"

Identification

Online Description/Photos:	BugGuide, Google Images, iNaturalist, Wikipedia, GBIF	Technical Description: Spiders of North America - Bradley; Spiders of the Carolinas – Gaddy; Bugguide
Comments: Abdomen is pale with a dark area in the center, widening towards the rear. There are two rows of three black or dark brown spots along the edge of the dark folium on the abdomen. There is usually a pair of white spots near the widest part of the folium. In some individuals the folium is pale. Cephalothorax and legs are pale brown. The spiders in the genus Mangora have tufts of long, thin sensory hair (trichobothria) on the front edge of the tibiae of leg III.
Total Length: Very small, female total body length 2.3-4.5 mm, male total body length 2.0-2.8 mm.	Adult ID: identifiable by photo

Distribution in North Carolina

Comments: Common throughout North Carolina and the eastern United States. Adults spring and summer, young are common in fall and overwinter to mature the following spring.
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: Low understory vegetation of deciduous forests, fields and tall grasses.
Observation Methods: Visual observation, sweep netting.
Abundance/Frequency: Common.
Silk / Web: Very small orb, finely meshed. This fine mesh allows them to collect small flying insects.
Prey: Small flying insects including pollinators.
Behavior: One of the most common spiders in understory vegetation in eastern deciduous forests.

Status in North Carolina

Natural Heritage Program Status:

Natural Heritage Program Ranks:

State Protection:

Comments:

Photo Gallery for Mangora placida - tuftlegged orbweaver
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Ken Kneidel Mecklenburg Co. Comment:		Recorded by: John Petranka Durham Co. Comment: New Hope Creek Biodiversity Survey (2021-2022)
	Recorded by: John Petranka Orange Co. Comment: New Hope Creek Biodiversity Survey (2021-2022)		Recorded by: John Petranka Durham Co. Comment: New Hope Creek Biodiversity Survey (2021-2022)
	Recorded by: John Petranka Durham Co. Comment: New Hope Creek Biodiversity Survey (2021-2022)		Recorded by: Donald Zepp Johnston Co. Comment: Female seen by my um... non-spider-loving wife through the windshield and on the wiper of her car as she pulled out of our driveway.
	Recorded by: Erich Hofmann Craven Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Erich Hofmann and Kayla Weinfurther New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn New Hanover Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Scotland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Surry Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Cherokee Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: John Petranka Orange Co. Comment: New Hoe Creek Biodiversity Project		Recorded by: John Petranka Orange Co. Comment: New Hope Creek Biodiversity Survey
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Durham Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn, C. Bowers, H. Anderson, J. Brown Cumberland Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn New Hanover Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Pender Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: j.wyche Gates Co. Comment: MEMI - approximately 2mm sized spiderling on my pants leg on the Moody Boundary; John & Jane Balaban think that this spider is a Mangora placida. That is what I had thought too. But they were not definitive. And, I have had another comment that it might be a Neoscona arabesca. So, if anyone has an opinion, please let me know. Laura P. from Bugguide agrees with Mangora placida. Alyssa Fuller says Mangora maculata.		Recorded by: FKW, SBW Camden Co. Comment: DISW
	Recorded by: j.wyche Gates Co. Comment: MEMI		Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Burke Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Beaufort Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Halifax Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Wake Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Bo Sullivan Craven Co. Comment:		Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Durham Co. Comment: