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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynae » Sheetweb and Dwarf Spiders (Linyphiidae) » Dwarf Spiders (Erigoninae) » Tachygyna » Tachygyna vancouverana
Photo#724848
Linyphiid - Tachygyna vancouverana - female
Copyright © 2012 Kyron Basu

Linyphiid - Tachygyna vancouverana - Female
Cowichan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
November 20, 2012
Size: ~1.3-1.5mm body length
Found in and rescued from a small puddle on a plastic sheet. What a tiny spider! Easily the smallest I've photographed so far.

I'm thinking she's a Tachygyna. Going by the key and diagrams in Millidge 1984, T. vancouverana seems the most likely out of the species on the BC checklist. However, the duct structure anterior to the spermathecae (figs. 45, 46) is much fainter than shown (if I'm not imagining it), so I'm not sure. The scape tapers more abruptly than the figure for T. ursina.

The back lit ventral epigynum shot took a little work to get, see the image remarks for details.

Images of this individual: tag all
Linyphiid - Tachygyna vancouverana - female Linyphiid - Tachygyna vancouverana - female Linyphiid - Tachygyna vancouverana - female Linyphiid - Tachygyna vancouverana - female Linyphiid - Tachygyna vancouverana - female Linyphiid - Tachygyna vancouverana - female Linyphiid - Tachygyna vancouverana - female Linyphiid - Tachygyna vancouverana - female Linyphiid - Tachygyna vancouverana - female Linyphiid - Tachygyna vancouverana - female
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Contributed by Kyron Basu on 21 November, 2012 - 1:53am
Last updated 21 November, 2012 - 6:09pm

ID from Rod Crawford
"A bit atypical for vancouverana, but the side view clinches it; ursina and vancouverana epigyna have especially distinctive lateral profiles, and this one definitely falls into vancouverana."

New species and genus for the guide!

For those interested, I couldn't resist taking a quick snap of her on my index fingertip before sending her back out. :D
http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/kyrontf/DSC03807.jpg

Moved from Spiders.
… Kyron Basu, 21 November, 2012 - 6:09pm login or register to post comments

 
Great shot
You should include that image, too! I think many people have little idea just how small some of these are.

It's great to get that sort of feedback from Rod, almost like being in his lab.
… Kevin Pfeiffer, 22 November, 2012 - 2:24am login or register to post comments

 
...
Added!

Yeah, it is great. In this case we wouldnt've known about the lateral profile stuff since Millidge didn't include one for T. ursina! So many times now Rod's patiently guided me through what needs to be shown for various spiders too, and offered invaluable criticism of the results.
… Kyron Basu, 22 November, 2012 - 2:49am login or register to post comments

..
Following the key seems to place it in the vancouverana/tuoba group. Comparing their drawings with your image*, I'd pick tuoba.

But waiting to see but the Boss says. :-)

* Simply amazing image -- I still think that patience (not to mention a great deal of cleverness) is the main necessity.

-K
… Kevin Pfeiffer, 21 November, 2012 - 5:56am login or register to post comments

 
...
I thought it matched tuoba best too... but they suggest its range is different (and it isn't on the BC checklist) which put me off somewhat. I've emailed Rod though, so we shall indeed see! :)
… Kyron Basu, 21 November, 2012 - 12:03pm login or register to post comments

 
..
Ah, I see -- I somehow mistook the distribution of vancouverana for that of tuoba.
… Kevin Pfeiffer, 21 November, 2012 - 4:08pm login or register to post comments

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