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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynae » Antmimics and Ground Sac Spiders (Corinnidae) » Castianeira » Castianeira athena
Photo#1052383
Ant-like salticid - Castianeira athena
Copyright © 2015 Aaron Schusteff

Ant-like salticid - Castianeira athena
East side of Santa Cruz Mountains, above Palo Alto, San Mateo County, California, USA
March 28, 2015
Found under oak leaf litter by Ken Schneider, during a morning field trip I joined him on to Foothills Park. Ken had seen this one before.

The individual in the post below was also found at same locale a few minutes later:

   
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Contributed by Aaron Schusteff on 3 April, 2015 - 3:13pm
Last updated 8 April, 2015 - 7:45am

Moved tentatively
Moved from Spiders.

I think the variety you're seeing is due to these individuals being immature.
… Lynette Elliott, 8 April, 2015 - 7:45am login or register to post comments

 
Thanks, Lynette
Ken was looking for a salticid, and I thought he had referred to these as salticids too, but guess I misunderstood. My post here and its companion post don't seem to have the "compact-blocky" gestalt and legs positioned for jumping that my (novice!) eye associates with salticids.

     

And that makes sense, since from the placement here I guess they're "corinnids" rather than salticids.
… Aaron Schusteff, 8 April, 2015 - 12:11pm login or register to post comments

This one looks even more like
Castianeira athena
… john and jane balaban, 3 April, 2015 - 3:47pm login or register to post comments

 
That's probably what Ken was referring to in the field
...when he mentioned having seen these before.

I'm really a novice with spiders, but I'm wondering whether the difference between my two similar photos here might be due to sexual dimorphism? Or could it simply fall under variation within a species...or two very similar species in the same leaf litter patch? Hopefully time and further comments here will clarify.
… Aaron Schusteff, 3 April, 2015 - 4:01pm login or register to post comments

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