Arachnids of North Carolina
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Opilio parietinus - No Common Name     Phalangiidae 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)

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synonym
taxonomic_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)
id_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)
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)
silk_web
fld_guide_descriptions
online_photos BugGuide
prey
predators
behavior
distribution_reference Our only known record is based on a specimen in Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology collected by W. Shear (accessed from iDIGBIO, 2018)
technical_reference Hillyard and Sankey (1989)
adult_id 1 identifiable by photo 2 identifiable by photo of specific features and/or supplementary info 3 identifiable from specimen only
abundance Not enough data are available to estimate either the frequency of occurrence or abundance of this species in North Carolina
distribution_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.
checklist_mt_high
>=4,000 ft.
Regular
Frequent
Infrequent
Occasional
Seldom
 Frequency
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 Our one record for this species comes from the Spruce-Fir zone at the top of Mt. Mitchell. However, it is associated with a wide variety of disturbed habitats in Europe, including
observation_methods Hillyard and Sankey (1989) report that this species can be found on walls, fences, buildings, and tree trunks.
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. This species is introduced and is not in need of any conservation efforts. It seems unlikely to displace any of our native harvestmen, most of which live in mesic forests rather than open or disturbed habitats.
NHP_ranks [GNR] [SNA]
NHP_status
status_comments Exotic, originating in Asia Minor (Hillyard and Sankey, 1989). This species is found primarily in the northern states, at least in the East (in the West, it has been recorded in Texas and New Mexico -- Cokendolpher and Lee, 2003). Our sole record appears to be the farthest south it has been found in the Appalachians. We currently know of only a single state record for this species.