Spider Species of Maine

-- a preliminary annotated list

by

Scott Carlton

Introduction

Maine's spider fauna is noted to be exceptionally diverse. While a complete species enumeration may never be accurately realized, it is undoubtedly very high. This is believed to be, in part, because of the extremely broad range of topology, ecosystem, and microclimatological factors which characterize this state. From arctic tundra to mid-atlantic seacoast and everything in between, we find ample environmental diversification to support an exceptionally broad range of species. Along the immediate seacoast, for example, species heretofore believed to be found no further north than New Jersey (or possibly Long Island) are noted. In the northwoods, species typical of Newfoundland or Manitoba are to be collected. Along the shores of Penobscot Bay and moving rapidly inland, an European species has become well established... to the point of all but eliminating its congeneric species throughout it's range of spread.

A potential minimum of thirty eight spider families are likely to be represented in the Maine fauna. While some of these families are of very limited North American distribution and diversity, others are exceedingly rich in genera and species. I would not find it unreasonable to consider Maine to be within the distributional range of many hundreds of species... certainly upwards of 500... but much more work remains to be done in the library, in the laboratory, and in the field. I look forward to continuing this work.

The Growing List: (by family)

Family: Pholcidae

Pholcus phalangioides (Feusslin) (Figure 1)

A very common cosmopolitan species sometimes overlooked in faunal lists. Perhaps this is because the species is almost considered "domestic" and is only rarely encountered away from buildings. Adult male from basement in Bangor. (Common throughout central and southern Me.)

Family: Theridiidae

Steatoda bipunctata L.

Several adult females and immatures from Bangor. While this species resembles very closely the native S. borealis which it is replacing in areas where it has become established from Europe, the genitalia are clearly distinct from that species. On outside of building foundation at night. Bangor.

Steatoda borealis

Adult males and females from vic. Dyer Long Pond, Jefferson. N74009-1

Euryopis funebris (Hentz)

Three immature specimens clearly of this species taken while sweeping grass along the bank of Kenduskeag Stream, Bangor.

Enoplognatha sp.

Adult male, at night, May 1974, 04539.

Rhomphaea fictilium (Hentz)

Three specimens of this rather uncommon species were collected from white cedar along the Kenduskeag Stream. This species was formerly considered to be southern in distribution, but Procter's record from Mt. Desert and the present would indicate that the species has a rather wide distribution but is only sparingly found locally in the north.

Conopistha rufa (Walck.) ex. Argyrodes trigonum (Hentz)

This small triangular spider is often found in webs of other species, particularly those of some of the Linyphiids, where it is seemingly tolerated. Often taken sweeping foliage in shaded woods. Bangor, Wiscasset.

Conopistha cancellata (Hentz)

Female taken near Dyer Long Pond, Jefferson. N74009-2.

Ulesanis americana Emerton

An adult male and female from Wiscasset (sweeping hemlock) and a female from Bangor (again, sweeping hemlock). An interesting small species not, apparently, uncommon but because of it's small size and highly unusual shape it is easily over-looked.

Theridula sp.

An adult female taken while sweeping hemlock. Wiscasset.

Theridion tepidariorum (C. L. Koch)

Three males, two females at night on foundation in Bangor.

Theridion unimaculatum Em.

Penultimate male, Bangor, N74008-9

Family: Linyphiidae

Bathyphantes bishopi Ivie 1969

Adult male, Bangor. N74030-1

Bathyphantes canadensis (Em.)

N74129-1

Bathyphantes concolor (Wider)

Common species in leaf litter. Bangor.

Bathyphantes pullatus O. P. Cambridge

N73341-1

Lephthyphantes zebra (Emerton)

Adult pair (male and female) from Bangor and an adult male from Wiscasset. In leaf litter.

Centromerus cornupalpus (O. P. Cambridge)

One adult female, leaf litter, Bangor.

Centromerus latidens (Emerton)

One adult female, leaf litter, Wiscasset.

Centromerus persoluta (O. P. Cambridge)

Several adult females taken sifting leaf litter. Bangor.

Centromerus sylvaticus (Blackwall)

Several adult females taken sifting leaf litter. Bangor.

Helophora insignis (Blackwall)

Adult female taken sweeping bracken fern, Bangor.

Linyphia clathrata Sundevall (Generic placement in quetion?)

An adult male from leaf litter, Bangor.

Linyphia marginata C. L. Koch

Several immatures, sweeping fern, Bangor.

Pityophantes costatus (Hentz)

Extremely common both sweeping foliage and under loose bark. Bangor, Wiscasset, throughout.

Family: Erigonidae (Micryphantidae)

Cochlembolus sp. (pallidus (Em.))

Two males, sifting leaf litter, Orono.

Cornicularia directa (O. P. Cambridge)

One adult male taken while sifting leaf litter, Wiscasset.

Ceraticelus bulbosus (Emerton)

Numerous adults of both sexes taken while sweeping a marshy field, Bangor.

Ceraticelus sp.

One adult male taken while sweeping bracken fern. This appears to be quite close to C. silus Dondale 1958 and may, in fact, belong to this species. Bangor.

Ceraticelus sp.

An adult male, sifting leaf litter, Wiscasset. N74005-2

Dietrichia maritima Carlton

Adult males and females collected from under loose hemlock bark near Kenduskeag Stream, Bangor. (type locality) This species is also known from a male collected in Frederickton, NB. The genus was erected in 1933 by Crosby and Bishop for D. hesperia from northern California.

Dismodicus decemoculatus (Em.) 1882

Adult males and penultimate females, May 1974, Woolwich (04539)

Erigone aletris Crosby and Bishop

Adult male at high tide line under rock. ICDC, 20 May 1974.

Gramonota pictilis (O. P. Cambridge)

Adult female, sweeping fern, Bangor.

Hormathion limnatum Crosby and Bishop

Three adult males from under loose bark near Kenduskeag Stream, Bangor. This is considered an uncommon species and is known from Connecticut (Kaston, 1948) as well as from New York State.

Oedothorax montiferus (Em.)

Three females under bark of dead white pine four feet above ground. Biscay Pond, Bristol.

Scirites pectinatus (Emerton) (Plate 1)

Adult males and females sifted from Reindeer Lichen. Waldoboro, 23 October 1976. N76299-2

Tapinocyba simplex Em.

Adult male, sifting leaf litter, Orono.

Family: Araneidae

Acanthepeira stellata (Marx)

One specimen sweeping grass in marshy field. Bangor.

Cyclosa conica (Pallas)

Quite common throughout in shaded woods.

Neoscona minuta (F.O.P. Cambridge)

One specimen, an adult female, provisionally attributed here. Wiscasset.

Neoscona arabesca

Females N74009-8

Araniella displicata (Hentz)

Very common throughout central and coastal areas, especially so in and around apple orchards.

Aranea dumetorum Villers

One specimen, an adult male from foliage. Bangor.

Aranea trifolium (Hentz)

One specimen, an adult female from Woolwich. (Although many additional observations of this large and highly distinctive species).

Meta menardi

Penultimate female from Dyer Long Pond, Jefferson. N74009-9

Metargiope trifasciata (Forskaal)

One female, Wiscasset.

Miranda aurantia (L.)

Widespread. Egg case, Bangor. Visual sightings, Wiscasset.

Family: Tetragnathidae

Tetragnatha viridis Walck.

Several specimens of this pretty species from foliage, primarily hemlock. Bangor and Wiscasset.

Pachygnatha autumnalis Keys.

One freshly-matured male from vegetation along Kenduskeag Stream, Bangor.

Pachygnatha brevis Keys.

Several adults of both sexes from vegetation along Kenduskeag Stream, and from the "Bangor Bog," Bangor.

Family: Theridiosomatidae

Theridiosoma gemosa (L. Koch)

Quite commonly found sweeping foliage in shaded woods. Bangor, Wiscasset.

Family: Mimetidae

Ero canionis Chamberlin and Ivie

One adult male which appears to belong here from under a board, Bangor.

Ero leonina Hentz.

Several adult females which I place provisionally here although the epigynal structure does not agree well with any species to which I have reference. Taken sweeping hemlock and white cedar, Bangor.

Family: Agelenidae

Coras juvenalis (Keys)

Two adult females from leaf litter, Bangor. Also adult male suspected in case of severe envenomation, Belfast.

Coras medicinalis (Hentz)

Males collected from vic. stone wall/ foundation, Dyer Long Pond, Jefferson. N74009-5

Cicurina brevis (Emerton)

Very common in leaf litter. Wiscasset, Bangor, Orono.

Cicurina pallida Keys.

Adult males, from leaf litter, Bangor.

Cicurina robusta Simon

Female, provisionally assigned here. Very heavily developed cheliceral base. From leaf litter, Chick Mountain, east of Orono.

Agelenopsis spp.

Several specimens... all adult females. No further work has yet been done on these materials.

Family: Hahniidae

Hahnia cinerea Emerton

One male and several immatures from leaf litter, Bangor.

Neoantistea radula (Emerton)

One adult female from leaf litter, Bangor.

Family: Pisauridae

Dolomedes scriptus Hentz

Two adult females from Dyer Long Pond, Jefferson.

Dolomedes striatus Giebel

Immatures taken along SE coast of Biscay Pond, Bristol.

Dolomedes tenebrosus Hentz

One adult male, Dyer Long Pond, Jefferson.

Pisaurina mira Walck.

A penultimate male of this large and strikingly pretty spider taken on an old tire, Bristol.

Family: Lycosidae

Lycosa frondicola

Adult male, Dyer Long Pond, Jefferson.

Pardosa milvina (Hentz)

One adult female among leaf litter, Wiscasset

Family: Gnaphosidae

Herpyllus vasifer Walck

Large adult female, at night. May 1974. Woolwich 04539

Zelotes subterraneus (C. L. Koch)

One adult female from under a board, Bangor.

Family: Clubionidae

Clubiona canadensis Emerton

Several specimens, mostly males, from Malaise Traps, Aroostook County. J. Dimond, coll.

Clubiona littoralis Banks (Figure 2)

Adult female, near tide line, Lowe's Cove, Damariscotta River, ICDC. Walpole

Clubiona mixta Emerton

Adult male and female, Bangor.

Clubiona spiralis Em.(Figure 3)

Adult male taken on foundation at night, May, 1974, Woolwich. 04539

Clubiona nicholsi Gertsch (Figure 4)

Lowe's Cove, Damariscotta River, ICDC.

Agroeca pratensis Emerton

Several females from leaf litter and under rocks, Bangor.

Agroeca ornata Banks

One male, three females siffing leaf litter, Orono. N74028-5

Phrurolithus divestus Gertsch

Adult female from leaf litter, Bangor.

Phrurolithus similis Banks

One immature placed here because of distinctive leg pigmentation. Leaf litter, Bangor.

Phrurolithus sp.

An unknown adult male (freshly matured) which while resembling P. pugnatus in general form, differs in palpal structure and pigmentation.

Phrurotimpus alarius (Hentz)

Two adult females from leaf litter, Wiscasset. N74005-1

Castianeira longipalpus (Hentz)

One adult female from under a rock, Bangor.

Family: Thomisidae

Oxyptila americana Banks

One adult female, under board, 17 May, 1974.

Tibellus sp.

Three penultimate males and several other immatures taken sweeping grass in wet meadow, Bangor. Very much like T. gertschi Chamberlin and Ivie.

Xysticus luctans (C. L. Koch)

Three penultimate males taken sweeping grass meadow, Bangor.

Coriarachne versicolor (Keys)

Adult female from under apple bark, Penobscot.

Thanatus sp.

One penultimate male, sweeping meadow, Bangor.

Tmarus sp.

One penultimate male, sweeping meadow, Bangor.

Ebo sp.

An adult female, sweeping grass meadow, Bangor.

Misumena vatia (Clerck)

Female, Bangor Bog, Bangor.

Family: Salticidae

Admestina tibialis (C.L. Koch)

Adult male, Dyer Long Pond, Jefferson.

Metaphidippus flavipedes Peckham

An adult male from Malaise Traps, Aroostook County, J. Dimond, collector.

Metaphidippus insignis (Banks)

Numerous specimens from sweeping a grassy field, Bangor.

Metaphidippus proturvus (Walck.)

One adult male from the Bangor Bog, Bangor.

Metaphidippus sp.

Adult female, Bangor.

Paraphidippus marginatus (Walck.)

Adult male, taken while sweeping grassy field, Bangor.

Phidippus clarus Keys.

Several specimens taken while sweeping field, Bangor.

Neon nelli Peckham

Adult female, sifting leaf litter, Wiscasset.

Family: Dictynidae

Dictyna muraria Emerton

One adult female, Wiscasset.

Family: Amaurobiidae

Callobius bennetti (Blackwall)

Very common, especially under loose bark at the base of old stumps.

Family: Uloboridae

Hyptiotes cavatus (Hentz)

A species with a very wide distribution but which may be quite localized. I have taken only one specimen, a female, in sweeping foliage but have many visual records of the distinctive web from shaded hemlock groves in Wiscasset.

Notes on some interesting Phalangids:

Family: Ischyropsalidae

Sabacon crassipalps (L. Koch)

Two specimens of this widely distributed but uncommon species were taken under rocks, one in the Bangor Bog and the other near the Kenduskeag Stream, Bangor.

Family: Phalangiidae

Caddo pepperella Shear

Three specimens of this recently described species were taken at the base of a well-rotted white pine stump, Wiscasset.

Caddo boopis Crosby

Several specimens of this uncommon species were collected in the same pine stump as C. pepperella in Wiscasset and one was taken from under a rock along the Kenduskeag Stream in Bangor. I list this as a new record although a specimen in the American Museum of Natural History in New York was collected at Presque Isle. (This species is being removed from Caddo to Acropsopilio by Shear.)

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