Cryptachaea porteri
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adult female, live |
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adult female, live |
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adult female, dead; dorsal view |
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adult male, live |
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female genitalia; epigynum |
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male genitalia; palp, lateral view |
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male genitalia; palp, ventral view |
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grape size comparison with adult spiders; male (left), female (right) |
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spiderling, live |
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spiderlings, dead; dorsal (left), ventral (right) |
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egg sac with incorporated leaves |
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egg sac |
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egg sac with scale (cm) |
Current valid name
Cryptachaea porteri (Banks) (family Theridiidae)
Recognition and diagnostic features
Small, dark brown with globose abdomen with small peak on dorsoposterior surface.
Related or similar species
Theridion melanurum
Spider
Body lengths when mature: male: 1.6 - 2.8 mm, female: 2.2 - 4.9 mm
Immatures resemble miniature adults.
Egg sac
Description: spherical sac of yellowish silk, suspended in web, 2.99 ± 0.36 mm diameter
Number of eggs per sac: 30.8 ± 14.5
Size of egg: 0.60 ± 0.024 mm
Time of year eggs are likely to be laid: September-October
Distribution
In California: Fresno, Riverside, Tulare counties
Elsewhere: eastern United States, south to Panama, West Indies
Native to North America
This species probably has been transported and become established outside of its range because it was not known from California until recently.
Biology
Small cobweb-weaving spider. Makes webs in grape leaves, found in grape bunches. Female guards egg sac.
Status in table grapes
Level of Incidence: common
Level of Concern in New Zealand: WPNZ (May 2010) nr, BORIC (Dec 2011) nr (not listed), MAF-BPRA (2002) nr (coding definition)
Level of Concern in Australia: WPAU (2006) nr (coding definition)
Level of Medical importance: none
Common name
None for species, combfoot spiders for family
Taxonomic history
In 2008, it was transferred from the genus Achaearanea to Cryptachaea.
Commonly encountered synonyms
Achaearanea porteri
Selected references
Levi, H. W. 1955. The spider genera Coressa and Achaearanea in America north of Mexico (Araneae, Theridiidae). Amer. Mus. Novitates 1718, 33pp.
Yoshida, H. 2008. A revision of the genus Achaearanea (Araneae: Theridiidae). Acta Arachnologica 57: 37-40.
