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TaxonomyBrowse
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Genus Herpyllus

Parson Spider - Herpyllus ecclesiasticus Eastern Parson Spider - Herpyllus ecclesiasticus Eastern Parson Spider - Herpyllus ecclesiasticus Eastern Parson Spider - Herpyllus ecclesiasticus Mid-sized spider, Plattsburgh, NY - Herpyllus ecclesiasticus Herpyllus spp. Spider - Herpyllus Herpyllus propinquus? - Herpyllus propinquus black spider - Herpyllus ecclesiasticus
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
Class Arachnida (Arachnids)
Order Araneae (Spiders)
Infraorder Araneomorphae (True Spiders)
No Taxon (Entelegynae)
Family Gnaphosidae (Ground Spiders)
Genus Herpyllus
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Numbers
There are 12 species in BugGuide's range.
Identification
H. ecclesiasticus (left) and H. proprinquus (right) are very similar in appearance. Published ranges suggest that H. ecclesiasticus is found east of the Rockies and H. propinquus is found west of the Rockies. That may be the best way to distinguish the two species from images. Additional caution should be taken when identifying these spiders from areas where their geographical ranges approach one another. Overlap occurs in MT, WY, CO, to western TX.



Examples of other members of the genus.:


Note that most of the other species do not have verified live images on BugGuide, and therefore Herpyllus may not be identifiable to species from habitus photos in regions where multiple species can be found.
Range
H. bubulcus - CO, NM, TX and adjacent Mexico (1)
H. cockerelli - CO, UT, AZ, NM, TX south into Mexico (1)
H. convallis - CA, NV, UT, AZ, NM and adjacent Mexico (1)
H. ecclesiasticus - North America (east of the Rockies) (1)
H. emertoni - LA to FL (1)
H. excelsus - AZ, NM, NV and adjacent Mexico (1)
H. hesperolus - western North America from SK west to BC and south to CA and western TX (1)
H. propinquus - North America (west of the Rockies) (1)
H. regnans - TX (1)
H. reservatus - AZ, NM south into Mexico (1)
H. scholasticus - CA (1)
H. schwarzi - NV, CA, AZ and adjacent Mexico (1)
See Also
Works Cited
1.A revision of the spider genera Herpyllus and Scotophaeus (Araneae, Gnaphosidae) in North America
Platnick and Shadab. 1977. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History.