Spiders of North Carolina

Arachnids of North Carolina

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

Nesticus carolinensis - Linville Caverns Spider Nesticidae Members:			NC Records	BugGuide Account	Public View

Start Discussion

Distribution Records
PDF

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

N. carolinensis is obviously closely related to N. tennesseensis, from which it may be distinguished by the form of the apophysis of the cymbium of the male and the epigynum of the female. Genus formerly Invesia.

species_comment

id_comments

Male. Length 4.5 mm. Cephalothorax short, broadly rounded on the sides, abruptly narrowed anteriorly opposite the eyes; clypeus wider than median ocular area, slanting downward and forward; median area of thorax with a depression armed with a cluster of 7 or 8 long brown hairs; a few scattered hairs in the eye region, on the clypeus and along the margins of the cephalothorax; chelicerae rather long, cylindrical, armed sparsely with short, light brown hairs; claw of chelicera sinuous, the lower margin of the furrow with a row of minute teeth, the upper margin with three brown teeth and a row of 7 or 8 long, light brown hairs; eyes eight, in two rows, the anterior row, viewed from in front, forming a nearly straight line, the anterior median eyes very small, separated from one another by slightly more than the diameter of one of them, and from the lateral eyes by about twice as much; posterior eyes in a slightly procurved line, the median eyes slightly larger than the lateral, separated by about three times the radius of one of them. and from the lateral by about the diameter; all eyes nocturnal and, except anterior median, elongate oval in outline; endites of the palpi widely separated at base, the distal margins with a sharp ridge and the disto-mesal margins truncated and bearing dense scopulae; labium about twice as wide as long and with scarcely an indication of a groove separating it from the sternum; sternum smooth and shining, strongly convex, broadly heart-shaped and produced behind, between the coxae of the fourth legs, into a squarely truncated lobe, sternum armed with scattered long, browTi hairs; legs damaged in capture but generally long and slender; coxae globose; trochanters short; femora cylindrical, slightly tapering distally; patellae short, arched above; tibiae slender; metatarsi slender, about as long as tibiae; tarsi about half as long as metatarsi; paired claws long, curved and armed at base below with series of about 11 slender teeth increasing in size distally; third claw smooth, about half as long as others and bent ventrally at the middle of its length; all legs armed sparsely with short, light brown hairs and many longer, stronger spinelike bristles which increase in size, number and length on the distal segments. Femur of palpus moderately long, cylindrical; patella short, arched above and bearing dorsally one very long and several shorter spines, ratio of length of patella to that of tibia as 4 to 15; tibia one and one half as long as patella, strongly swollen and armed ventro-laterally with tw^o very long, curved spines and numerous smaller ones at the distal margin and distributed around the segment; cymbium long and narrow and provided with a basal, lateral apophysis which is very large, trough-shaped and armed, on either side of trough, with a strong pointed tooth; distally the apophysis is produced into three prongs, the dorsal one long, sinuous and serrated along the distal margin; the middle piece thin and broad and squarely truncated, the ventral part more slender, somewhat twisted and strongly serrated distally. Bulb of palpus large with the long, slender, curved embolus arising from the ventro-lateral side at base and curving forward around the mesal side. Color. Cephalothorax and its appendages bright yellow; abdomen above dirty white with a suggestion of paired gray spots on dorsum; sternum with the margins dusky; venter of abdomen with grayish blotches in front of epigastric furrow and spinnerets. Female. Length 3.5 mm. Similar to the male in general appearance and armature but with the thorax and basal segments of the legs lighter yellow; margins of thorax dusky and with faint tinges of dusky behind the eyes and in a triangular patch in front of median depression of thorax; abdomen globose, marked above, on a dirty white ground color, with five or six pairs of large, faint grey spots; epigynum protuberant and consisting of three lobes, the center one with paired openings at the margin behind.

total_length

Very small, male 4.5mm, female 3.5mm.

structural_features

silk_web

fld_guide_descriptions

online_photos

prey

predators

behavior

distribution_reference

technical_reference

adult_id

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

abundance

distribution_comments

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

Cave

observation_methods

state_protection

NHP_ranks

S1 G1?

NHP_status

SR FSC

status_comments

Photo Gallery for Nesticus carolinensis Linville Caverns Spider
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Avery Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Avery Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Avery Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Avery Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Avery Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Avery Co. Comment: Rosemont Road. 1 female, 2 males.
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Caldwell Co. Comment: 1 female, 1 immature	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Caldwell Co. Comment: 1 female, 1 immature
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Watauga Co. Comment: 1 female, 2 immature.	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Burke Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn Burke Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn, Bryce Jaynes McDowell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn, Bryce Jaynes McDowell Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn, Bryce Jaynes McDowell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn, Bryce Jaynes McDowell Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn, Bryce Jaynes McDowell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn, Bryce Jaynes McDowell Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn, Bryce Jaynes McDowell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn, Bryce Jaynes McDowell Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn, Bryce Jaynes McDowell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn McDowell Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn McDowell Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Brian Bockhahn McDowell Co. Comment:

Photo Gallery for Nesticus carolinensis Linville Caverns Spider