Calilena angelena

Even better, the result, a new species and genus for BugGuide! Many thanks, R.J.! (esp. for the add'l. images)

… Kevin Pfeiffer, 15 November, 2010 - 1:08am

Moved

… R.J. Adams, 14 November, 2010 - 10:49pm

Not

Tegenaria...
I believe there is some confusion with ID.
This is one of the larger, common Agelenopsis sp. in CA in my opinion, as I have collected many like this.

Do you have images of male and/or palpal organs?

… Jeff Hollenbeck, 14 November, 2010 - 9:26pm

Thank you everyone! It's been

Thank you everyone! It's been a learning experience and a humbling refresher on this family! I now see how the curvature of the eyes is more than one would expect for Tegeneria and this is the first other agelenid genus I've seen with a patterned sternum. The clincher was the long scape (or stylus in Chamberlin and Ivie 1941) on the epigynum - a defining feature of the genus. It was very close to both C. restricta and C. angelena, but the stylus is white in restricta and dark in angelena. C. angelena has also been found in California while restricta has not (supporting point).
According to the revision, members of this genus are very close in appearance to Agelenopsis, requiring a detailed look at the spider's reproductive structures to distinguish them. Interestingly, the male has never been formally described.

Thank you again to everyone who assisted me with the identification of this Spider!

R.J. Adams

… R.J. Adams, 14 November, 2010 - 11:27pm

Funnel

spiders sure are a pain... in the west at least!
Thanks for the info.

… Jeff Hollenbeck, 15 November, 2010 - 6:30am

I can hardly see much spider here at all, so have no opinion on the matter. But I do note that SONA indicates these two straight to slightly procurved eyes rows are as seen in a frontal view. (I didn't actually know that.)

I looked at my Hololena specimen, just to compare, ~~and sure enough, the anterior row is recurved~~ -- oops, wrong, "strongly procurved" is more like it.*

Paquin & Dupérré, 2003, show frontal views of Agelenopsis and Tegenaria. I can't read the French, but Agelenopsis (Hololena does not occur in Canada according to Chamberlin & Ivie, 1942) appears strongly procurved in the frontal view and Tegenaria only moderately procurved.

BTW, were there any markings on the sternum? What did the genitalia look like? A photo or drawing would be cool. (hint, hint) ;-)

-K

* Those terms (procurved and recurved) are dangerous, anyway, in my hands -- I constantly have to remind myself, almost mantra-like, which is which, out of a fear that I'll mix them up.

… Kevin Pfeiffer, 14 November, 2010 - 2:59pm

Now you've all got me second

Now you've all got me second guessing myself! :)

Just to be sure, I sent these photos of the eyes and sternum to Darrell Ubick, Arachnology curator at the California Academy of Sciences to ask his opinion as well. I'm still hanging with Tegenaria although I will admit the curvature of the eye rows is fairly steep. Any other opinions?

I think this is going to be very helpful. I'm trying to take more pictures of the living spiders before collecting them. In many cases the color and pattern of the living spider's have never been described. Often, only their reproductive structures are illustrated,which makes sense considering the effects of preservatives over even a very short time.
Cheers!

… R.J. Adams, 14 November, 2010 - 4:30pm

Why Tegenaria?

It sure looks more like some of the other spiders in Agelenidae to me.

… Lynette Elliott, 13 November, 2010 - 11:22pm

I was surprised as well, but

I was surprised as well, but I checked the eye arrangement (two parallel procurved rows)and they have patterned sternums.

… R.J. Adams, 14 November, 2010 - 12:21am

I hope you're wrong =]

or else I'll need to adjust my idea of Tegenaria, which I don't want to do!

… Lynette Elliott, 14 November, 2010 - 12:25am

No need to change your search

No need to change your search image Lynette! I just need to not jump the gun so fast on my i.d.'s :)

Thank you again!

RJ

… R.J. Adams, 14 November, 2010 - 11:35pm