Arachnids of North Carolina
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View Cosmetidae Members: NC Records

Libitioides sayi (Simon, 1879) - Say's Armored Harvestman


Taxonomy
Order: OPILIONESSuborder: LaniatoresSuperfamily: TravunioideaFamily: CosmetidaeSynonym: Vonones sayi                                                                                 
Comments: Libiotodes sayi is one of two species in this genus that occur in North America north of Mexico (Kury, 2003), both of which occur in North Carolina.
Species Comment: Brimley (1938) referred to specimens collected in North Carolina as Libitiodes ornata, reflecting past confusion as to which names (ornata or sayi) applied to the species found widely in the East and Midwest(see discussion in Kury, 2003). While L. sayi is the species that occurs widely across the state, we now have new records for Libitiodes ornatus, which was previously thought to be restricted to the Gulf Coast and Florida.
Identification
Online Description/Photos: BugGuide Google, iNaturalist, Wikipedia, GBIFTechnical Description: Weed (1893)
Comments: A moderately small Armored Harvestman, with a flattened body and somewhat bowed legs, particularly the posterior pair. The body color is fuscous to ferruginous brown. Narrow yellow or whitish lines are variably present, with a Y-shaped mark located on the cephalothorax behind the eye eminence, and a transverse line located at the rear margin of the abdominal scutum (Weed, 1893). Additional transerse line segments may occur between the pair of tubercles on the scutum of the abdomen (form albolineata, as described by Weed, who considered it to be a separate species). Size, color, and pattern appear to be very similar to those of L. ornatus, but differs in having the posterior transverse line running fairly straight across the rear of the scutum rather than forming two curved lines that loop around the bases of posterior tubercles.
Total Length: 6 mm (Weed, 1893)Adult ID: identifiable by photo
Structural Features: The two pairs of tubercles on the abdomen are low and inconspicuous in L. sayi, whereas the posterior pair are prominent in L. ornata, and about four to five times larger than the anterior pair (Weed, 1893; see also Banks, 1893, and Cokendolpher and Jones, 1991).
Distribution in North Carolina
Comments: This species will probably be found across the Piedmont and Coastal Plain. Its presence in the mountains needs to be investigated.
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: Found under logs and rocks on the ground and under the bark of standing snags. In the Piedmont, observations come primarily from wet to mesic hardwood forests.
Observation Methods: This species may be found mainly in the spring and fall by searching under logs and boards.
Abundance/Frequency:
Status in North Carolina
Natural Heritage Program Status:
Natural Heritage Program Ranks: [GNR] S3S5
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 species appears to be associated with mesic forests. More information needs to be obtained about its overall distribution, population sizes, and habitat associations before its conservation status can be accurately determined.

 Photo Gallery for Libitioides sayi - Say's Armored Harvestman

Photos: 19

Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn on 2024-05-10
Chatham Co.
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Recorded by: Mark Basinger and Donald Zepp on 2024-04-18
Lenoir Co.
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Recorded by: Erich Hofmann and Kayla Weinfurther on 2024-04-08
Columbus Co.
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Recorded by: Carla Hester on 2024-03-06
Forsyth Co.
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Recorded by: Nathan Vaughan on 2023-12-28
Granville Co.
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Recorded by: Steve Hall and Dee Stuckey on 2023-11-10
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Steve Hall and Dee Stuckey on 2023-11-10
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Amanda Odegard on 2022-12-08
Onslow Co.
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Recorded by: Erich Hofmann and Kayla Weinfurther on 2022-10-14
Columbus Co.
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Recorded by: Erich Hofmann and Kayla Weinfurther on 2022-04-29
Columbus Co.
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Recorded by: Carol Tingley on 2021-05-02
Durham Co.
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Recorded by: Nathan Vaughan on 2021-04-10
Person Co.
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Recorded by: Elizabeth Doran Washburn on 2021-03-09
Wake Co.
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Recorded by: Erich Hofmann on 2020-04-24
Craven Co.
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Recorded by: FKW, SBW on 2010-03-20
Camden Co.
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Recorded by: Steve Hall on 1986-02-00
Orange Co.
Comment: Winter aggregation
Recorded by: Steve Hall on 1985-05-00
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Steve Hall on 1985-05-00
Orange Co.
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Recorded by: Steve Hall on 1984-10-00
Orange Co.
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