Spiders of North Carolina

Arachnids of North Carolina

Order:
Scientific Name: Common Name:		Family (Alpha):

Erigone autumnalis - a dwarf spider Linyphiidae Members:			NC Records	BugGuide Account	Public View

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Distribution Records
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Vetting Levels

Adult phenology:
High Mountains (HM) ≥ 4,000 ft.
Low Mountains (LM) < 4,000 ft.
Piedmont (Pd)
Coastal Plain (CP)

Click on graph to enlarge

synonym

taxonomic_comments

species_comment

Emerton, in first describing the species in 1882, commented that "This species is common on fences in October and November, I have also found a few specimens under leaves in woods. Kaston (1948) also noted their predilection for fences, observing that, in addition to their being found under leaves, they can be found "ballooning from fences." Muma (1943) reported "They may be found late in the fall in tufts of grasses near streams or ballooning through the air on a strand of silk. This species is known as the ballooning spider." In fact, Forster (1971) reported a ballooning male specimen "captured in the aerial nets at Marble Point, Antarctica on 21 February 1960."! (He speculated that the specimen had been a stowaway, and thought the "source of this spider must be either from a ship or from stores brought in..."

id_comments

Although the protruding chelicerae are easily seen, positive ID requires microscopic examination, owing to the spiders' tiny size.

total_length

Females 1.4-1.7mm; males 1.0-1.5mm

structural_features

silk_web

fld_guide_descriptions

online_photos

prey

predators

behavior

Owing to one of their commonly observed behaviors, Muma (1943) referred to this species as "the ballooning spider."

distribution_reference

Crosby, C. R. & S. C. Bishop. 1928. Revision of the spider genera Erigone, Eperigone and Catabrithorax (Erigoneae). New York State Museum Bulletin.

technical_reference

Emerton, J. H. (1882). New England spiders of the family Theridiidae. Transactions of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences 6: 1-86. Forster, R. R. (1971). Notes on an airborne spider found in Antarctica. Pacific Insects Monographs 25: 119-120. Kaston, B. J. (1948). Spiders of Connecticut. Bulletin of the Connecticut State Geological and Natural History Survey 70: 1-874. Muma, M. H. (1943). Common spiders of Maryland. Natural History Society of Maryland, Baltimore, 179 pp.

adult_id

1 identifiable by photo 2 identifiable by photo of specific features and/or supplementary info 3 identifiable from specimen only

abundance

Very common, but easily overlooked due to its small size.

distribution_comments

Canada; Maine to Florida, west to Kansas and Texas. Central America to Panama. Introduced to Azores, Europe, United Arab Emirates, and New Caledonia.

checklist_mt_high
>=4,000 ft.

Regular	Frequent	Infrequent	Occasional	Seldom	Frequency Regular – almost always observed on given visit; >=90% chance of observation Frequent – usually observed on a given visit; >=50%<90% chance of observation Infrequent – observed less than 50% of visits; >=25%<50% chance of observation Occasional – observed on only on a small minority of visits; >=10%<25% chance of observation Seldom – not usually seen on visits; <10% chance of observation These terms refer to visits to appropriate habitats made at appropriate times of the year, making use of common sampling/observation methods. Under those conditions, Frequency refers to the chance of observing at least one individual on a given visit made anywhere within a particular region, or over multiple visits to a single site.

checklist_mt_low
<4,000 ft.

Regular	Frequent	Infrequent	Occasional	Seldom

checklist_pd
Piedmont

Regular	Frequent	Infrequent	Occasional	Seldom

checklist_cp
Coastal Plain

Regular	Frequent	Infrequent	Occasional	Seldom

habitat

old field; sifted from moss near ditch. Frequently found under fallen leaves.

observation_methods

Johnston Co. specimens frequently taken in Berlese samples of soil & leaf litter in residential neighborhood.

state_protection

NHP_ranks

NHP_status

status_comments

Photo Gallery for Erigone autumnalis a dwarf spider
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Mitchell Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Donald Zepp Johnston Co. Comment: Berlese of leaf litter beneath Euonymus alatus
	Recorded by: Carol Tingley Durham Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Donald Zepp Wilson Co. Comment: Female. Berlese sample gathered from edge of roadside woods, near creek, 02 Jan 2022. Sample extracted 07 January 2022.
	Recorded by: Carol Tingley Durham Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Carol Tingley Durham Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Carol Tingley Durham Co. Comment: Floodplain leaf litter	Recorded by: Carol Tingley Durham Co. Comment: Floodplain leaf litter
	Recorded by: Carol Tingley Durham Co. Comment: Floodplain leaf litter	Recorded by: Donald ZEPP Johnston Co. Comment: Adult female. Berlese sample of misc. leaves
	Recorded by: Donald ZEPP Johnston Co. Comment: Adult female. Berlese sample of misc. leaves	Recorded by: Donald ZEPP Johnston Co. Comment: Adult female. Berlese sample of misc. leaves
	Recorded by: Donald ZEPP Johnston Co. Comment: Adult male. Berlese: soil & leaf litter on concrete at foot of residential steps	Recorded by: Donald ZEPP Johnston Co. Comment: Adult male. Berlese: soil & leaf litter on concrete at foot of residential steps
	Recorded by: Donald ZEPP Johnston Co. Comment: Adult male. Berlese: soil & leaf litter on concrete at foot of residential steps

Photo Gallery for Erigone autumnalis a dwarf spider