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Photo#1485572
Dwarf Spider - Masoncus conspectus - male

Dwarf Spider - Masoncus conspectus - Male
Yoakum Dunes Wildlife Management Area, Cochran County, Texas, USA
September 9, 2017
Size: ~3mm
A neat linyphiid captured by a pitfall trap in a shinnery oak habitat sometime between 9 September and 17 September 2017. Identified to genus with SONA 2nd edition and to species with Chamberlin 1949.

According to SONA, Masoncus species are associated with ants. Given the hundreds of ants that ended up in my pitfall samples, they are in no short supply at the WMA. It therefore makes sense that this species would be found alongside them.

Images of this individual: tag all
Dwarf Spider - Masoncus conspectus - male Dwarf Spider - Masoncus conspectus - male Dwarf Spider - Masoncus conspectus - male Dwarf Spider - Masoncus conspectus - male Dwarf Spider - Masoncus conspectus - male Dwarf Spider - Masoncus conspectus - male Dwarf Spider - Masoncus conspectus - male

Moved
Moved from Dwarf Spiders.
New genus for the Guide, nice find, nice ID sleuthing. :)

 
Thanks!
I was hoping to find at least one linyphiid species in my pitfall samples and I was not disappointed.

This one was pretty easy to identify, since only a handful of genera have cephalic pits plus an unmodified carapace. It sure was rewarding nonetheless!

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