Field and Swamp: Animals and Their Habitats

Spiders (order Araneae, class Arachnida, subphylum Chelicerata, phylum Arthropoda, superphylum Protostomia, subkingdom Metazoa, kingdom Animalia, domain Eukarya)           Notes on Taxonomy Choices

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All spiders are venomous, but only a couple of species in the US, the Brown Recluse (not pictured on this page) and the Black Widow can do serious harm to humans.  Most spiders' chelicerae, structures that end in hollow, pointed fangs through which venom is injected, cannot penetrate human skin; only the venom of the Brown Recluse and Black Widow is toxic enough to damage the human body.  The tarantulas of the Southwestern US sometimes bite in self-defense, but are generally reputed to do so without injecting venom, which is reserved for incapacitating prey.  The harmless North American Funnel Web Spiders (members of the Agelenidae family) should not be confused with the highly venomous Sydney (Australia) Funnel Web Spiders (Atrax robustus), which are members of another suborder altogether (the Mygalomorphae).

Purseweb Spider (Sphodros genus, Atypidae family, Mygalomorphae suborder)

Mygalomorphs are generally large spiders.  True Tarantulas (family Theraphosidae) are members of this suborder; some are found in the Southwestern US.

The Atypidae are sometimes known as "atypical tarantulas."  There are two genera in the US:  Atypus and Sphodros.

Male Purseweb Spider (Sphodros atlanticus), Eno River State Park, Fews Ford access, top of Cox Mountain, Orange County, NC, 5/27/06.  Family ID thanks to John and Jane Balaban, referring to BugGuide's Purseweb Spider page. Genus, species and sex ID thanks to Jeff Hollenbeck.

Common Orb Weavers (Araneidae family, Araneoidea, Orbiculariae, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

According to most recent classification schemes, spinning mainly vertical flat, spiral-patterned webs ("orbs") is a main characteristic of these spiders.

Spiny Orb Weavers (Micrathena genus, Araneidae family, Araneoidea, Orbiculariae, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

These orb weavers have traditionally been considered to be in this family, and I'm betting it will be official in the final classification scheme.  But their genus seems not to have come up for consideration yet.

Micrathena gracilis

These spiders, commonly known as Spined Micrathenas, have five black spines on a mostly white abdomen, at least under ideal circumstances.  I see six spines on some of these, and have no ready answers.

Spined Micrathena (Micrathena gracilis), Durham, 7/28/05. This spider had spun a web across a walking path in my neighborhood that was high enough not to be disturbed by people.	Spined Micrathena, Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 9/7/07.	Spined Micrathena, Durham, 7/31/05.  Either this spider has great camouflage or goes around with a caterpillar stuck to its abdomen.	Spined Micrathena, Indian Creek Trail, Chatham County, NC, 8/2/05.  Most of this spider is ridged abdomen, but you can see the legs on top.	Spined Micrathena, Durham, 8/5/05.  On this spider and the one on the left, you can see the prominent abdominal spinneret.	Spined Micrathena, Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 8/13/06	Penny's Bend, Durham County, NC, 8/24/05.

Micrathena mitrata

These spiders have just two spines on their abdomens, but are similar to the gracilis species spiders otherwise.  ID based on remarks about this species near the bottom of the Micrathena Gracilis page of the University of Arkansas' Arthropod Museum Notes.

Micrathena mitrata, Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 9/7/07.	Chatham County, NC, 11/9/05.  This one was about ¼ inch long.	Mason Farm Biological Reserve, 9/8/05.  The two spines are not obvious here.	Maybe the other side of a mitrata, but just guessing!  Mason Farm Biological Reserve, 10/23/05.  This tiny spider was only about ¼ inch long, so I was surprised to see the "spiny" abdomen.  It was one of only 2 spiders I saw that day.

Arrow-shaped Micrathenas (Micrathena sagittata)

Arrow-shaped Micrathena (Micrathena sagittata), Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill Road access, 7/30/05.  This spider was in the process of web-spinning.	Another Arrow-shaped Micrathena spider found in the same general area.	Arrow-shaped Micrathena (Micrathena sagittata), Johnston Mill, Orange County, NC, 8/18/06

Crablike Spiny Orb Weavers (Gasterocantha cancriformis, Araneidae family, Araneoidea, Orbiculariae, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

Crablike Spiny Orb Weaver, Cypress Gardens, Berkeley County, SC, 10/12/07.  See other spiders.	Crablike Spiny Orb Weaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis), Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 6/23/06	Crablike Spiny Orb Weaver, same spider	Crablike Spiny Orb Weaver, Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 6/23/07	Crablike Spiny Orb Weaver, Fort Fisher Basin Trail, New Hanover County, NC, 6/22/06	Crablike Spiny Orb Weaver, Audubon Swamp Garden, Charleston County, SC, 10/11/07

Star-bellied Orb Weavers (Acanthepeira stellata, Araneidae family, Araneoidea, Orbiculariae, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

There are only five species in this genus. 

Star-bellied spider, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, 8/28/05.   This one reminds of part of a cuckoo clock my mother once had!	Star-bellied spider, Indian Creek Trail, a Jordan Lake Game Land, Chatham County, NC, 7/7/06: ventral view on left, dorsal on right.

Triangulate Orb Weavers (Verrucosa arenata, Araneidae family, Araneoidea, Orbiculariae, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

Triangulate Orb Weaver (Verrucosa arenata), Indian Creek, 8/2/05	Triangulate Orb Weaver	Triangulate Orb Weaver (Verrucosa arenata), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, 9/18/05.	Triangulate Orb Weaver (Verrucosa arenata), White Pines Nature Preserve, Chatham County, NC, 9/25/05.  ID based on the State of Missouri's spiders page.

Araneus genus members, Araneidae family, Araneoidea, Orbiculariae, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae

Araneus and Neoscona are very similar genera, and many of these photos were not taken at an angle that reveals the one tiny difference (the posterior dorsal longitudinal groove), as described at American Museum of Natural History's Orb Weaver Page.  So many of these are guesses.

Araneus diadematus (Garden Spiders or Cross Spiders)

Garden Spider or Cross Spider(Araneus diadematus), ventral view, Durham, 8/5/05.   Probably a male.	Garden Spider, ventral view, White Pines Natural Area, Chatham County, 9/25/05.  Maybe another male.	Garden Spider, mostly dorsal view, Durham, NC, 8/30/06

Araneus marmoreus (Marbled Orb Weavers)

These pictures illustrate the variation in abdominal patterns occuring among members of this species.

Marbled Orb Weaver (Araneus marmoreus), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 9/27/07	Marbled Orb Weaver, Eno River State Park, Orange County, NC, 10/9/06.	Marbled Orb Weaver, Nova Scotia, Canada, 10/18/07.  Photo taken by Nancy Crowell.	Marbled Orb Weaver (Araneus marmoreus), mostly ventral view,  Eno River State Park, Old Cole Mill Road access, 9/16/05	Marbled Orb Weaver (Araneus marmoreus), Durham, 9/27/05.

Araneus genus orb weaver, Durham, NC, 8/18/07

Neoscona genus members, Araneidae family, Araneoidea, Orbiculariae, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae

Neoscona genus?), Durham, NC, 8/30/06	Neoscona domiciliorum, Johnston's Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 8/25/05	Orb weaver (Neoscona genus), Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 6/15/07	Orb weaver (Neoscona genus), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 9/9/06	Orb weaver (Neoscona genus), Durham, 7/6/05

Orb weaver (Neoscona genus), Durham, 8/11/07.  This spider repaired its web every night.	Orb weaver (Neoscona genus), Durham, NC, 8/14/07.  This was apparently the same spider, several nights later, resting after repairing its web.

Argiope genus, Araneidae family, Araneoidea, Orbiculariae, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae

Argiopes are standard orb weavers in that their webs are round and flat.

White-backed Garden Spider or Banded Argiope (Argiope trifasciata)

White-backed Garden Spider, Durham, 9/27/05.  Also very well-fed.  Was hanging out next to a large lantana patch visited by many insects.	White-backed Garden Spider, Penny's Bend, Durham County, NC, 10/15/05, ventral view	White-backed Garden Spider.  Dorsal view of the same spider.  Definitely well-fed!	White-backed Garden Spider, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 10/17/07  Dorsal view.	White-backed Garden Spider, ventral view of the same spider.

Yellow-and-black Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia)

Yellow-and-black Garden Spider, 9/2/04.  Not so well-fed.	Yellow-and-black Garden Spider, Indian Creek Trail, Chatham County, 8/2/05.  Also not so well-fed.	Yellow-and-black Garden Spider. Close-up of well-fed Argiope. Doesn't look as much like just another Harnett County, NC (8/10/04) spider as it does ... a Spider Woman (at our online store)?	Male Yellow-and-black Garden Spider, Al Buehler Trail, Duke University, NC, 8/22/05. Appears to be well-fed.	Male Yellow-and-Black Garden Spider, Fayetteville, NC, 8/25/06.  Taken by Adolph Thomas. © 2006 Adolph Thomas.	Male Yellow-and-Black Argiope, Fort Fisher, New Hanover County, NC, 6/22/06	Yellow-and-black Garden Spider, Jordan Lake Game Land, Chatham County, NC   10/1/06	Egg sac of Yellow-and-black Garden Spider on left.  Jordan Lake Game Land, Chatham County, NC   10/1/06

Yellow-and-black Garden Spider, Dare County, NC, 10/6/05.

Mangora genus, Araneidae family, Araneoidea, Orbiculariae, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae

Orb weaver (probably Mangora placida), Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 3/30/07	Orb weaver (probably Mangora placida), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 3/31/07

Mangora genus, Durham, 7/30/05	Mangora genus (but not necessarily placida species), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 8/31/07.  This may be the same species as the spider on the left.	Mangora genus, Durham, NC, 8/1/07.  This appears to be the same species as the spider on the immediate left.  Genus ID thanks to Jeff Hollenbeck.

Acacesia hamata (Araneidae family, Araneoidea, Orbiculariae, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

Acacesia hamata, Durham, 7/18/05.  ID provided by John and Jane Balaban.	Spider, (Acacesia hamata), Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 9/7/07.  This was a very tiny spider, a few mm long.  Its placement on the brown spot of this leaf camouflaged it effectively.

Gea heptagon (Araneidae family, Araneoidea, Orbiculariae, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

Spider (Gea heptagon), Durham, NC, 8/21/06

Unidentified orb weavers, Araneidae family, Araneoidea, Orbiculariae, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae

Another orb weaver, upstaged by its dew-adorned web at the very beginning of the day.	Mystery orb weaver, Durham, 10/29/05.  This tiny spider was the only live orb weaver I saw that day.

Mangora genus? Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill Road access, 8/17/05

Golden Silk Spiders and Allies (Nephilinae subfamily, Nephilidae family, Araneoidea, Orbiculariae, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

Golden Silk Spiders (Nephila clavipes)

Golden Silk Spider (Nephila clavipes), Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 9/16/07.  These are different views of the same spider: ventral, side and dorsal.

Long-jawed Orb Weavers (Tetragnathidae family, derived araneoids, Araneoidea, Orbiculariae, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

Elongate Long-jawed Orb Weavers (Tetragnatha elongata)

These spiders are so named because of their unusually large chelicerae, commonly called "fangs," which contain venom-producing glands and end in hollow spikes through which they deliver their venom. 

Elongate Long-jawed Orb Weaver, Durham, 6/13/05.	This same Elongate Long-jawed Orb Weaver sought cover on a form of swamp grass, using impressive camouflage.	A great view of the complex pattern on the same Elongate Long-jawed Orb Weaver's abdomen.	Another such Elongate Long-jawed Orb Weaver, Durham, 6/29/05.  The chelicerae are especially prominent in this photo.

Elongate Long-jawed Orb Weaver, Eno River State Park, Old Cole Mill Road access, Orange County, NC, 11/7/05	Elongate Long-jawed Orb Weaver, Durham, NC,  9/10/06.  The large "jaws" (chelicerae) are especially manifest here.

Long-jawed Orb Weavers (Tetragnatha genus)

Long-jawed Orb Weaver, Jordan Lake Gameland, Chatham County, NC, 6/19/07	Long-jawed Orb Weaver, Durham, 4/28/06

Orchard Spiders (Leucauge venusta)

There is a lot of inter-species variation among Orchard Spiders.  Coastal NC spiders have different patterns from those in the NC Piedmont, but South Carolina Orchard Spiders are remarkably different from both.

See more Orchard Spider photos.

Orchard Spider, a coastal variety, Dare County, NC, 10/6/05.  Apparently with prey.	Orchard Spider, Unknown species, Eno River SP, Durham County, NC, 4/28/06	Orchard Spider, Carolina Beach State Park, New Hanover County, NC, 9/17/07

Some very beautiful small spiders are easily overlooked.  This is a sexually dimorphous species (see Bugguide's picture of Orchard Spider couple ) and shows a lot of patterns of wear and tear.  I'm making my guess about which sex is which on the assumption that females have the large abdomens (sometimes, when they're pregnant).  (Note: unless otherwise noted, all of the orchard spiders were about ¾ inch long). 

Females

Orchard Spider, Audubon Swamp Garden, Charleston County, SC, 10/11/07.  Order a T-shirt with this picture on it at our online store.	Another Orchard Spider, also Audubon Swamp, 10/11/07	Durham, NC, /27/05.  This seems to be a pregnant female.	Durham, NC, 6/9/05.

Males

Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill Road access, 6/23/05.	Eno River State Park, Old Cole Mill Road access, 7/6/05, same as spider on left	Durham, 7/20/05

Comb-footed Spiders (Theridiidae family, Theridioidea, Araneoid sheetweb weavers, Reduced pyriform clade, Derived Araneoids, Araneoidea, RTA Clade, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

These spiders spin cobwebs, which humans detest and songbirds love to use for nesting material.  

American House Spiders (Achaearanea tepidariorum)

American House Spider (Achaearanea tepidariorum) attacking a Marbled Orb Weaver, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, 7/15/06	American House Spider (Achaearanea tepidariorum) with egg sac.  Durham, 7/22/05	American House Spider, Durham, NC, 8/10/07	American House Spider with egg sac.  Durham, 6/14/05.  One of the larger spiders I've seen.	American House Spider with prey, Durham, 7/6/05

Comb-footed spider (Theridion pictipes), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/31/07.   ID thanks to John and Jane Balaban.

This ID is just a guess, since the Black Widow's classic identifying feature, the red hourglass mark, is on the ventral side.  But if the spider is not in a web, this is the angle you are most likely to see it at.

Maybe a Black Widow (Latrodectus mactans), Durham, 12/30/05.

Sheet Web Weaver and Dwarf Spiders (Linyphiidae Family, Linyphioids, Araneoid sheetweb weavers, Reduced pyriform clade, Derived araneoids, Araneoidea, Orbiculariae, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

All photos in the first row were taken of members of the species Florinda coccinea,  subfamily Linyphiinae member, according to Wikipedia's Blacktailed Red Sheetweaver page and Samford University's Florinda coccinea page.   Levi and Levi (2002) describe this species as yellow-colored (rather puzzling) and most commonly found in the southeastern US. 

These spiders' webs form elaborate horizontal sheets.  The Florinda coccinea usually spins its web near the ground in grasses, but the Frontinella communis spiders depicted below have typically showed up in the branches of small trees.

This spider family has the most species, although its members are very tiny and probably overlooked altogether by most people.  The two shown below are apparently the most common in Piedmont North Carolina.

Black-tailed Red Sheetweaver, Durham, 8/6/05, at edge of local swamp, but still deep in swamp grass.  About ¼ inch long.	Black-tailed Red Sheetweaver, same location, 9/3/05.  According to Patrick Moran, this is a male spider; the others are females.  The large pedipalps are the key.	Black-tailed Red Sheetweaver, Durham, 7/16/05, local swamp.  Possibly the same species as at left, but maybe not as well-fed.	Black-tailed Red Sheetweaver, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 9/30/06.  This picture was taken on a cool morning when the dew was still on its web.

Bowl and Doily Spider (Frontinella communis), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 10/17/07	Bowl and Doily Spider, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, 11/21/07	Bowl and Doily Spider, Eno River State Park, 10/18/07

Other mystery web-spinning spiders that have evaded classification (all taxa!)

Durham, 6/26/05.	Durham, 6/26/05.   Another small spider with an interesting abdomen pattern.	Durham, 6/25/05.

Indian Creek Trail, a Jordan Lake Game Land, Chatham County, NC, 7/7/06	Mystery spider, Indian Creek Trail, a Jordan Lake Game Land, Chatham County, NC, 9/3/06

Two views of a mystery spider, Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 4/20/06

Web-spinning Spiders that defy higher taxa categorization

Basilica Spiders (Mecynogea lemniscata)

In contrast with the flat webs of the orchard spiders, the webs of these spiders filled a three-dimensional space and no two threads seemed to be in the same plane.  They often are found in groups in contiguous webs.  Maybe they get their common name from this web structure.   In this respect, at any rate, they are at the far extreme from standard orb weavers, but the newer classification schemes don't seem to address the problem.  So we are not assuming that they are Araneidae family members, as is assumed by many people.

The two pictures on the left suggest an aborted courtship (Durham, 7/20/05).  It took place within one of a group of complex webs with elaborate three-dimensional structures.  All webs were apparently spun by spiders of the same species, which had the abdominal patterns pictured in the two photos on the right. 

The large spider approached the smaller spider.	The smaller spider let the big spider touch it with two feet for a second or two, then they quickly separated.  No accounting for taste (pun intended!)	This is another spider similar to the smaller spider on the left.	This is another view of the spider on the left.	Durham, 7/31/05.  With egg sacs.

Durham, 6/30/05.  This spider was apparently wrapping up its prey.

Funnel Web Spiders (Agelenidae family, Other Amaurobioids, RTA Clade, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

These spiders have a two-part web consisting of a horizontal sheet which catches prey and a funnel-shaped tunnel in which the spider hides.   In this way, they bear a superficial resemblance to the highly venomous Australasian Funnel-web Spiders, members of the Hexathelidae family, suborder Mygalomorphae.   This is a classic example of how common names can cause serious confusion.

Funnel web spider (probably Agelenolopsis genus),  Johnston Mill, Orange County, NC, 7/1/06	Funnel web spider, Boone, NC, 8/7/06	Funnel web spider, Durham, NC, 9/30/07.  This spider showed up on our deck.	Funnel web spider?  Eno River State Park, Old Cole Mill Road access, 5/10/07, ventral view.  The light color suggests that it's a recent molt.

Nursery Web Spiders and Fishing Spiders (Pisauridae family, Lycosoidea, RTA Clade, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

These spiders are noted both for their ability to walk on water and for their spiderlings, which stay together until relatively large.  Their only use of silk is to build their "nursery webs."

Six-spotted Fishing Spiders (Dolomedes triton)

Six-spotted Fishing Spider (Dolomedes triton) with sea snail, Durham, 5/03/05

Six-spotted Fishing Spider, NC Botanical Garden, 8/17/06.	Six-spotted Fishing Spider, Durham, NC, 6/9/05

Dark Fishing Spiders (Dolomedes tenebrosus)

These spiders can seem to be wolf spiders to those with poor vision.  But they are more likely than wolf spiders to be found in aquatic habitats.

Dark Fishing Spider (Dolomedes tenebrosus), Durham, 3/22/06.  This relatively large spider had at least six eyes and was scrambling around on the edge of a creek, sometimes in the water, sometimes on leaves or blades of grass.  It seemed to have grown too big to walk on water, a problem apparently encountered by few members of this species.	Dark Fishing Spider (Dolomedes tenebrosus), Durham, 2/14/06	Dark Fishing Spider (Dolomedes tenebrosus), Durham, 4/15/06	Dark Fishing Spider (Dolomedes tenebrosus), Durham, 6/23/05	Dark Fishing Spider, Occoneechee Mountain Natural Area, Orange County, NC, 4/9/06. This spider, about ¼ inch long,  was following around a brown worker ant subduing a black winged ant.

Dark Fishing Spider, a lake in Illinois, 7/9/07, taken by Danielle Lessing. © 2007 Danielle Lessing	This picture gives a better picture of how big this spider was.  Ms. Lessing said it seemed to be five inches across.  Apparently the abundant food supply at the lake enabled this spider to get bigger than we formerly thought Dark Fishing Spiders could be!

Nursery Web Spiders (Pisaurina mira)

Nursery Web Spider, Durham, 6/22/05.	I'm guessing these are Nursery Web spiderlings.  Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill Road access, Orange County, NC, 9/16/05.

Wolf Spiders (Lycosidae family, Lycosoidea, RTA Clade, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

These are very big spiders at maturity.  Although they are not known to administer venomous bites, I once had a close call with a full-size Wolf Spider: it had found its way into an empty shoe and surprised me with a painful nip that left deep indentations on my heavily callused toe when I put the shoe on.

Rabid Wolf Spider (Lycosa rabidosa), Durham (edge of swamp), 10/24/05.  This spider was about ½ inch long and very timid, may be immature.	Wolf spider, Durham, 10/28/05	This large wolf spider was carrying a bunch of spiderlings on her abdomen at Johnston Mill, Orange County, NC, 7/15/06.	Wolf Spider, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 10/28/06.

Lynx Spiders (Oxyopidae family, Lycosoidea, RTA Clade, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

Green Lynx Spider(Peucetia viridans), Durham, 7/16/05.  This one showed up in my local marsh.	Green Lynx Spider, Indian Creek Trail, a Jordan Lake Game Land, Chatham County, NC, 9/3/06

Crab Spiders (Thomisidae family, Dionycha, RTA Clade, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

These spiders don't spin webs; instead, they wait in ambush for their prey. 

This Smooth Flower Spider (Misumena vatia) was apparently eating a fly on Siler's Bald in Macon County, NC, on 8/10/05.	Smooth Flower Spider, North Carolina Museum of Art outdoor trail, Wake County, NC, 5/8/07, with grasshopper prey.	Flower Spider, Durham, 8/13/05.  Apparently lying in wait for prey.	Foliage Flower Spider (Misumenops genus), Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 10/2/05.	Crab spider (with prey), Indian Creek Trail, a Jordan Lake Game Land, Chatham County, NC, 7/7/06.  This tiny spider looked at first glance like a Sinea genus assassin bug nymph.

Crab Spider, Durham, 8/17/06.  Showed up on door to our deck.	Probably the same species of spider on the one on the left.  Durham (swamp in my neighborhood), 9/22/05.	Durham, 10/1/05.  Also found in swamp.  This spider was about ⅛ inch long.

Crab Spider, Wannamaker County Park, Charleston County, SC, 3/28/06	Crab spider, White Pines Nature Preserve, Chatham County, NC, 11/11/06

Ground Spiders (Gnaphosidae family, Gnaphosoidea, Dionycha, RTA Clade, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

These are mainly nocturnal spiders that hide under rocks during the day, but every now and then we get a glimpse of them scurrying across a walking path.   They may be often overlooked because they look like ants from a distance.  However, they should not be confused with the "ant-mimic" spiders of Corinnidae, which look like brown ants up close.

Gnaphosa muscorum? Durham, 6/9/05.  You can see only six legs, but this small (magnified) spider apparently lost some.	Gnaphosa muscorum?Durham, 6/16/05.  The abdomens have different colors and different numbers of spots.	Ground spider (Sergiolus capulatus), Durham, 2/17/06	Ground spider (Cesonia bilineata), Durham, NC, 6/13/06.  The large abdomen suggests that this is a pregnant female.

Ground Sac Spider (Castianeira longipalpa).  Thanks to Lynette  Schimming for genus ID.	Red-spotted Ant Mimic (Castianeira descripta), Durham, NC, 11/20/07

Jumping Spiders (Salticidae family, Dionycha, RTA Clade, Entelegynae, Araneomorphae)

Jumping spiders seem to have excellent vision and quick response times.  One thing that's obvious is that they can make big moves, such as 180° complete turnabouts, almost instantaneously, and don't need to have a completely horizontal surface to do it, either!

They are hard to pin down to a species, in part because the "awwww!" factor often seduces photographers into taking pictures from the front, thus missing out on identifying markings.

Lyssomanes viridis, subfamily Lyssomaninae, outdoor trail at the North Carolina Museum of Art, Wake County, NC, 5/8/07

Tree Trunk Spider (Metacyrba genus, "miscellaneous salticids with a fixed embolus"), Durham, 9/19/05.	Jumping spider (Metacyrba genus), Durham, 6/20/05	Jumping spider, (Hasarius adansonii, "miscellaneous salticids with a fixed embolus") NC Botanical Garden, 3/14/06.  A very tiny spider, about a tenth of an inch long.	Jumping Spider (maybe Hasarius adansonii, ), Durham, 7/13/06

Daring Jumping Spider (Phidippus audax, subfamily Dendryphantinae)?, Durham, 7/16/05.  Here, the spider seemed to be tilting its head back to look at me.	Same Daring Jumping Spider:  now it's facing me.  Patrick Moran tells me he got a painful nip from a member of this species.	Daring Jumping Spider, Durham, 4/16/06

Phidippus genus?Boone, Watauga County,  8/29/05

Eno River State Park, Old Cole Mill Road access, Orange County, NC, 11/7/05.  This was an especially large spider, about an inch long not including the front legs.	Jumping spider with unidentified prey, Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 4/20/07.	Jumping spider, Eno River State Park, Old Cole Mill Road access, Orange County, NC, 7/27/07	Jumping spider, Durham, 4/15/06	Jumping spider, Durham, 6/2/06	Jumping spider (Paraphidippus aurantius), Mason Farm Biological Reserve (area north of the creek), 4/28/07

Jumping spider (Platycryptus undatus), Durham, 8/14/07.  This was a relatively large spider, at least 13 mm long and very lively.	Jumping Spider (Platycryptus undatus),Durham, NC, 7/13/06.  It is missing its left foreleg.

Jumping spider, Dare County, 10/6/05.  A relatively large spider.

Jumping spider, 9/3/06, probably in Durham.

Jumping spider, Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 8/13/06	Jumping spider, Indian Creek Trail, a Jordan Lake Game Land, Chatham County, NC, 9/3/06

Duke Forest, Gate 12, Durham, NC, 10/14/05.  When this spider saw me coming, it scrambled down this plant stalk.	But when I snapped the picture on the left, the spider turned to look at me.  (Don't ask me why the fangs are blue!)	Here, it's raised its forelegs, partially obscuring the fangs.

Jumping spider, near the shore of Lake Crabtree, Wake County, NC, 10/13/05.   It was facing down.	When I took the first picture, the spider on the left turned around to face me.  You can see the big, furry fangs and the big eyes in the front.

Jumping spider, Boone, Watauga County,  8/29/05	Jumping spider, Durham, 6/22/05.   Similar to the Boone spider at left, but probably not the same species.  Even though the leftmost picture of this spider seems different from the others, these really are the same spider, all taken at 2:11 and 2:12 (the rightmost) PM.

Jumping spider with prey, Dare County, NC, 10/5/05.	Jumping spider, Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill Road access, 9/16/05.  This one went right under the leaf after looking backward and seeing me.	Jumping spider, Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill Road access, 8/17/05.  Look at all those eyes!  In the picture on the right, the spider faced toward me, but maybe was looking at me the whole time!

Jumping spider, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 4/14/06.  About ⅛ inch long.

Jumping spider (Thiodina sylvana), Lake Crabtree County Park, 3/16/06.  This spider was about a sixteenth of an inch long and traveled up a silk strand to get to this twig.

Mystery Spiders

From time to time spiders present ID problems and photos are shown here.  See if you can figure out what kinds of spiders these are.  If you know the answer, contact us.

Mystery spider, Durham, 7/31/05.  Another tiny, hard-to-see spider.	Mystery spider, Penny's Bend, 8/23/05

Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill Road access, Orange County, NC, 6/23/05.  This one showed up on my car and didn't appear to be a web spinner.	Durham, 6/17/05.  This one was about the size of an orchard spider.	Durham, 7/28/05.  This tiny spider showed up at the swamp in my neighborhood.

This little spider was busily spinning a web, apparently unhindered by its having only three full-size legs and maybe one other in the process of growing back.  Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill Road access, 9/16/05.

This looks like a marsh crab spider, found on the shoulder of a road going over Lake Crabtree, Wake County, NC, 10/13/05.  Maybe an Araniella genus member?