Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Photo#874310
Eucteniza relata - male

Eucteniza relata - Male
Beeville, Bee County, Texas, USA
November 15, 2009
Size: 25 mm
Found in the backyard. It came on the sidewalk, in the lighted area.
When it's cold they seem to look for a warmer place around the house (?) or just migration.
I'm curious if it can be identified to species.

Images of this individual: tag all
Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male Eucteniza - Eucteniza relata - male

Moved
Moved from Eucteniza.

Moved
Moved from Spiders.

Looks like ...
it might be a Ummidia.

 
.
Honestly what made ​​me think about the first time to a tarantula, was the size. It's a big spider.
I added a few pictures for a better view of tibia of leg 3.
For Ummidia should be visible "saddle-like depression in the outer surface of the tibia of third leg" as here
I think that this one does not have this feature. But I have not experienced in the interpretation of this.

 
I tried ...
to see the saddle-like depression the first time I looked and wasn't sure I was seeing that right, the new pictures do look straight. What do you think of Eucteniza?

 
I think you have right
Euteniza sp.
Carapace fit well. (At least for me, comparing with
On Info Page write they can reach 25 mm. (I think they can be and a little bigger).
Anal tubercles or spinnerets (?) seem to fit, too.
I found in BG photos, some specimens where the red marks on legs seems to be the same. or - not very distinct but seems to be
(I have tried to highlight this red mark in the photos above. But I do not know if this is a distinctive feature.)

Here seems to fit the thorn feature on first and second leg, compared to this photo of above specimen
The problem is that identification must be more a process of elimination, not recognition.

I try to compare pictures like Myrmekiaphila and found this this - note the red mark on legs

In "A taxonomic review of the trapdoor spider genus Myrmekiaphila" - by Bond, Jason E.; Platnick, Norman I, they write:
"Males can be separated from those of the other euctenizine genera by the
medially compressed and distally expanded metatarsus I "

This feature is clear in or maybe more here .

I tried to see if it is or not this feature to specimen of my photos. I added (but probably the feature is not visible from the front view) and this (not really a perfect angle but I think it is sufficient)
This last photo make me to think that my is not a Myrmekiaphila because I can't see the distinct feature for genus Myrmekiaphila mentioned above.

So now, I assume that is an Eucteniza sp.

Note: "A taxonomic review of the trapdoor spider genus Myrmekiaphila" - Bond, Jason E.; Platnick, Norman I,

can be download full PDF here

 
Looks good
to me, especially the big spine on tibia II. E. rex and E. stolida are suggested on the image I linked to but I can't find any images or references to compare to.

 
.
"Taxonomic revision of the Trapdoor spider genus Eucteniza" article

here

(I hope these articles will be kept free. I don't know why but sometimes, on some pages, I just can not find again full article, even recent articles)

In this article E.rex and E.solida are both considered junior synonyms of E. relata.
If you have time take a look to E.relata in this article.

In this article E.rex and E.solida are both considered junior synonyms of E. relata.
If you have time take a look to E.relata in this article.

Now I suspect that it is.

 
E. relata
I saw that and checked the World Spider Catalog to see if they were listed as synonyms there (not yet) not realizing how recent the paper was I was just confused by it. I realize now it just probably hasn't taken effect yet, going by the range map on that paper it looks like they're all going to be called E. relata and given the range that looks like what your spider should be though I don't know if we should make a page for it until the name change takes place in the World Spider Catalog, I don't want to accidentally mislabel it. I guess we can just leave it here for a bit and see what the others think then move them to genus and make a page for them when the new name becomes official.

 
.
There's no rush for the specie's page. For a time, I think that's better so.
Maybe will be some more comments. In cases like these, I like more the journey than the destination.

 
I added a detail
I added a detail (crop of a photo) for first left leg tibia retrolateral view

Here an article (page loading slow). On page 16, are presented details for tibia I, spines for Eucteniza rex. Seems to fit.
On page 17 it is a photo but unclear.

 
Nice
I saw a link to a paper I couldn't quite figure out how to access earlier, I wonder if that was it.

 
Thanks
I just added photos for another specimen.
I think they are the same species. Found in the same place but two years later.

Moved
Moved from Spiders based on diagnosis

"Eutecniza males can be recognized by the presence of 1-2 mid-ventral megaspines on the tibia of both legs I and II"
(quote from article: Bond JE, Godwin RL (2013) Taxonomic revision of the Trapdoor spider genus Eucteniza Ausserer (Araneae, ygalomorphae, Euctenizidae). ZooKeys 356: 31–67. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.356.6227 )

Thank you Laura P.!

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.