Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Photo#40683
tiny spider - Episinus amoenus

tiny spider - Episinus amoenus
Fort Bragg, Cumberland County, North Carolina, USA
January 8, 2006
Size: less than 5 mm
I found this spider on the wooden garden border. I'm not sure if it was underneath or on the side. It is quite small, the body being an estimate of 3mm. I think it looks similar to Episinus in the Golden Guide to Spiders, but that species is found in Europe. There was no visible web.

There is an Episinus - (Therididae)
on the North American list. We came to Episinus amoenus as we tried to track this image down, based on the description of the body, without realizing that you had come to the same genus. The problem is that we can't find any images of it. Here's the data from kaston.transy

Genus Episinus Walckenaer, 1809 [2]
amoenus Banks, 1911 USA
AL, DC, FL, GA, MD, MS [Dorris, 1972], NC, OH [Bradley, unpub.], TN, VA

 
Thanks
for the info.

 
The
other NA species is cognatus. Not sure how to tell the two apart.

 
cognatus
has now been moved to Neopisinus (2013).

 
here's another reference
Headstrom – Spiders of the United States

Episinus amoenus – Female about 1/6 inch, male about 1/10 inch. This spider is easily recognized by the form of its abdomen which is narrow and bilobed at the base, gradually widening toward the posterior end; a tubercle on each side of the abdomen at its widest part. Page 87

 
Written References...
I've always had a hard time IDing from words....that being said if it looks to be the only species in North America I'm inclined to believe that's what it is. Compared to this photo of Episinus angulatus it matches very well for belonging to that genus.

 
Nice!
Nice! Saw a drawing today in Comstock that looks exactly like your image.

Uloborus?
Reminds me of Uloborus (family Uloboridae), but not positive.

 
Thanks,
I considered that, and haven't fully ruled it out. But it does not have the "feathered legs" and the abdomen shape seems wrong. Of course, I only am comparing to the Uloborus in the guide, so there may be others that match.

 
Re: Uloborus.
Not all the species have the "feathered" legs, and I'm pretty sure the immatures lack that feature as well. The overall shape, and posture, fits, but then there are probably lots of other possibilities:-)

 
Shape
my thinking on the shape...hard to explain for me....is that the "hump" on Uloborus is more towards the head while in this photo the hump is much more toward the rear. Does that make sense?

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.