White Flint Park July 13, 2021

I parked near the boat ramp at the southeast corner of the park in the morning. The temperature was mild and it was mostly sunny. I found three significant habitats in the immediate area. There was a small raised plateau with sparse vegetation, a long, low limestone bluff along the lake, and a small gentle sloping muddy area next to the lake. The last had recently been underwater and was now covered with low vegetation hosting a large number of caterpillars.
A large number of adult Pardosa lapidicina group spiders were seen on the bluff. They appeared to represent a single species which showed obvious sexual dimorphism. The females had banded legs and were pale tan and darker gray overall. The males had fainter leg banding and were a darker reddish brown overall. Their bodies had patches of lighter, yellowish-tan hairs. The cymbium on the pedipalp was claw shaped and dark brown in color.
Many smaller Pardosa representing at least two additional species were found on the plateau and muddy slope along with two late juvenile females of the lapidicina group species. The lapidicina group juveniles were lighter than the adults and in shades of gray with a slight tan tint.
The spider distribution may have been a matter of food availability. The bluffs were largely unvegetated, however there were numerous Pygmy Grasshoppers. The vegetation of the other two areas supported a greater diversity of small arthropods that may have appealed to smaller spiders.

Each location has its own benefits. In this case a single lapidicina group species was apparently isolated, and I have a good selection of both male and female adults photos to work with. This is probably the best place yet for me to try for a species identification. Like most of the lapidicina group species, the male and female had similar body lengths of about 0.25". Two gravid females were obvious exceptions with body lengths of about 0.34". Females with egg sacs had returned to their original lengths. Lengths provided in the scientific literature often show a much wider range of female length, and this is probably why. Carapace length would be a more consistent measure, and the plasticity of the abdomen suggests that reporting body length to a hundredth of a millimeter is overkill.

Posted on Ιούλιος 18, 2021 0212 ΜΜ by eaneubauer