Genus Synageles

See the World Spider Catalog.

There are 8 species in BugGuide's range (North America north of Mexico).(1)

Small spiders, 2-5 mm in total body length (excluding legs).(2)

Carapace in dorsal view without constriction, in lateral view with at most a slight declivity behind furthest back eye row (row III).

Abdomen with slight constriction on anterior (front) half. Transverse line of white scales across carapace, and also on the abdomen at the sides of the constriction.

S. bishopi: New Mexico & Kansas east to Maine & Florida.(2)

S. canadensis: a boreal species found in Canada from British Columbia to Nova Scotia with one record from Northern Michigan.(2)(3)(4)

S. idahoanus: western United States (e.g. Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, Utah, California).(2)

S. leechi: known only from a male collected in British Columbia, Canada.(2)(4)

S. mexicanus: Arizona & New Mexico (and south into Mexico).(2)

S. noxiosus: (most widespread species in the genus) all southern states, plus all of the eastern states as far north as Ontario and Quebec.(2)

S. occidentalis: southern California across to southern Michigan and everything north of that imaginary line.(2)

S. venator: an introduced European species that has, so far, only been collected in Quebec.(4)

The male S. leechi is very similar to the male S. idahoanus, and may only be a variant form of that species.(2)

"Most antlike salticids elevate the first pair of legs in a convincing imitation of ant antennae (Reiskind 1977), but Synageles and Peckhamia utilize the second pair for this purpose. I have observed this in S. noxiosus and S.occidentalis in both sexes, and Engelhardt (1970) observed it in S. venator. Second leg elevation has been observed in species of other antlike salticid genera, but is rare." -- Bruce Cutler in (2)