Notable Mygalomorph Spider (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) Records for the Coastal Plain of Georgia

Dirk J. Stevenson^1,* and Rebecca L. Godwin²

¹Altamaha Environmental Consulting, Hinesville, GA 31313. ²Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 19, Issue 1 (2020): 11–21

Abstract
The status and distribution of many mygalomorph spider species is poorly known because of their cryptic lifestyles and specific habitat requirements. In 2018, we conducted surveys to better determine the ranges of the mygalomorph spiders Antrodiaetus unicolor (a folding door spider), Cyclocosmia torreya (Torreya Trap-door Spider), and Myrmekiaphila spp. (wafer-lid spiders) in the Coastal Plain in Georgia. Our surveys focused on oak–beech–magnolia forests associated with north-facing bluffs and ravines. We documented one or more of these mygalomorph spiders at 17 Coastal Plain sites, finding A. unicolor at 7 sites, C. torreya at 5 sites, M. torreya at 3 sites, and an undetermined Myrmekiaphila species at 12 sites. Our collections include the first C. torreya records for the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

Download Full-text pdf (Accessible only to subscribers. To subscribe click here.)