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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Chelicerates (Chelicerata) » Arachnids (Arachnida) » Spiders (Araneae) » True Spiders (Araneomorphae) » Entelegynae » Nursery Web Spiders (Pisauridae) » Fishing Spiders (Dolomedes) » tenebrosus group (Dolomedes tenebrosus group) » Dolomedes tenebrosus

Species Dolomedes tenebrosus

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Life Cycle · Remarks · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Maryland spider ID request - Dolomedes tenebrosus Found Knoxville Tennesse, house is on the river. - Dolomedes tenebrosus - female Wolf Spider Needs ID - Dolomedes tenebrosus Large Lycosid, Possibly Hogna carolinensis - Dolomedes tenebrosus Brown and white spider - Dolomedes tenebrosus Fishing Spider - Dolomedes tenebrosus - female Unknown spider - Dolomedes tenebrosus Dark FIshing Spider with Prey - Dolomedes tenebrosus
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
Class Arachnida (Arachnids)
Order Araneae (Spiders)
Infraorder Araneomorphae (True Spiders)
No Taxon (Entelegynae)
Family Pisauridae (Nursery Web Spiders)
Genus Dolomedes (Fishing Spiders)
No Taxon (tenebrosus group)
Species tenebrosus (Dolomedes tenebrosus)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
See the World Spider Catalog.
Explanation of Names
Latin: "dark, gloomy"
Size
body length of female 15-26 mm, of male, 7-13 mm
Identification
Brownish to gray with few white marks, dark W-shaped marks on dorsal surface of abdomen.

The main difference between scriptus and tenebrosus is that the 'W' pattern on scriptus is outlined in white all the way across the abdomen. The pattern in tenebrosus is broken.. and it generally has less white. It also appears that scriptus has a fuller and more complete median carapace stripe.

Dolomedes scriptus


Dolomedes tenebrosus


Additionally Dolomedes tenebrosus features an inverted "v shaped" black mark beginning at the AME extending to the edge of the clypeus enclosing a light spot on the anteromedial margin compared to Dolomedes scriptus which is dark only around each eye with a homogenous medium gray clypeus(1):

Dolomedes scriptus

Dolomedes tenebrosus


Epigynum:


Palp:
Range
Eastern North America: southeastern Canada south to Florida, west to North Dakota, Texas.
Habitat
Bushes, rocks, etc., near permanent bodies of water, sometimes in dry woodlands.
Life Cycle
A youtube video of the male and female mating can be seen here.
Remarks
A study by Schwartz, Wagner & Hebets, August 2013, has found that during mating the male of this species dies. The paper can be found here.
See Also
Dolomedes scriptus
Print References
Howell and Jenkins, pp. 224-225, fig. 137 (2)
Kaston, p. 179, fig. 451 (3)
Carico, J. E., 1973. The Nearctic species of the genus Dolomedes (Araneae: Pisauridae). Bulletin Museum of Comparative Zoology Harvard 144: 435-488. (Species Description Here)
Internet References
iNaturalist
GBIF
Works Cited
1.The Neartic Species of the Genus Dolomedes (Araneae: Pisauridae)
James Edwin Carico. 1973. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Vol. 144, No. 7 Cambridge, Mass., March 13.
2.Spiders of the Eastern US, A Photographic Guide
W. Mike Howell and Ronald L. Jenkins. 2004. pearson education.
3.How to Know the Spiders
B. J. Kaston. 1978. WCB/McGraw-Hill.
Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 1:20pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Lynette Elliott, cheins, Chuck Entz, Laura P., Nathaniel Green
Last updated 9 October, 2022 - 3:26pm

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