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1999. The Journal of Arachnology 27:217-221 HOUSE SPIDERS OF KANSAS Hank Guarisco: Kansas Biological Survey, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66047 USA ABSTRACT* Spiders found in and around buildings may be divided into three categories; 1) true synanthropes, which can establish breeding populations in houses, seldom occur locally in the natural environment, and have broad ranges because they may be accidentally transported to new locations, 2) spiders which are seasonally abundant in natural habitats as well as in houses, but don’t establishbreeding populations in houses, 3) spiders which are rarely found in houses because they are locally rare or spiders that are locally common but are rarely found indoors. Fifteen species, including the venomous Loxosceles relusa and Cheiracanthium miidei are true synanthropes in Kansas. Category 2 contains 26 species, in- cluding the venomous species Latrodectus hesperus, L. rnactans, and L. variolus. There are 33 species which are rarely found indoors in Kansas. Most species listed have been reported from buildings across the United States. The interest of a homeowner is usually array ofplants and animals. The Kansas flora, aroused when a spider is discovered inside the for example, exhibits geographical affinities house. Since there are at least five species of with eastern, southern, northern, western, and Kansas spiders which can inflict bites serious interior plant communities (Bare & McGregor enough to require medical attention, common 1970). Preliminary studies ofthe spider fauna questions that immediately come to mind are: of the state reveal a similar pattern (Fitch & “Is this spider venomous?”, and “Can it hurt Fitch 1966; Guarisco & Fitch 1995; Guarisco me?”. Another concern is whether the house & Kinman 1990; Scheffer 1904, 1905). There- is “infested” with spiders, and what can be fore, many ofthe spiders encountered in Kan- done to eliminate an infestation. In response sas homes can also be found in other parts of to these questions, information on spiders the continent. Some building-inhabiting spe- found in and around houses, buildings, and cies have even wider distributions, with pop- other structures in Kansas was gathered from ulations on several continents. the author’s personal collection and field House spiders can be conveniently divided notes, the spider collection of the University into three categories. True synanthropes are of Kansas Snow Entomological Museum, and associated with houses, can establish breeding the literature. Most records are from the populations in these locations, and usually Lawrence area in northeastern Kansasbecause have very wide distributions because they are this region has been more intensively studied often accidentally transported to new areas. than other parts of the state. The scientific They seldom occur locally in the natural en- names of spiders and their order in Tables 1- vironment. The second category includes spe- 3 follow Platnick (1997). The relative preva- cies which are seasonally abundant in natural lence of spiders in Kansas homes ranges from habitats and in houses. Although some may very common, common, occasional, uncom- hibernate indoors, and the emergence oflarge mon to rare. Very common and common spe- numbers of spiderlings from an occasional cies are routinely found in buildings, while eggsac may give the impression of an infes- rare, uncommon and occasional species have tation, these species do not establish popula- been encountered on 1-5, 6-10, and 11-15 tions inside houses. The third category con- occasions, respectively. tains species which are rarely found in and Because Kansas is located at the center of around buildings. They are either common in the continental United States and contains a natural situations and rarely frequent houses, wide variety of natural habitats, including or they are locally rare species. As Edwards eastern deciduous forest and tallgrass and & Edwards (1997) have indicated in their shortgrass prairies, it is the home of a diverse study ofthe spiders ofrural delivery mailbox- 217 218 THE JOURNAL OF ARACHNOLOGY — Table 1. Synanthropic (associated with people) spiders in Kansas (Category 1). VC = very common, C = common, O = occasional, U = uncommon, R = rare. Species Distribution Abundance Loxosceles reclusa Gertsch & Mulaik 1940 US VC Scytodes thoracica (Latreille 1802) Cosmopolitan R Pholcusphalangioides (Fuesslin 1775) Cosmopolitan C Spermophora senoculata (Duges 1836) Holarctic R Dysdera crocata C.L. Koch 1838 Cosmopolitan O Oecobius cellariorum (Duges 1836) US, Europe O Octonoba sinensis (Simon 1880) eastern US & Orient O Achaearanea tepidariorum (C.L. Koch 1841) Cosmopolitan VC Steatoda triangulosa (Walckenaer 1802) Cosmopolitan VC Tegenaria domestica (Clerck 1757) Cosmopolitan c Amaurobiusferox (Walckenaer 1830) eastern US, Europe o Cheiracanthium mildei L. Koch 1864 US, Europe, north Africa c Urozelotes rusticus (L. Koch 1872) Cosmopolitan R Salticus scenicus (Clerck 1757) N. & S. America, Europe, u north Africa Sitticusfasciger (Simon 1880) North America, Asia R es in Massachusetts, eventually individuals of vironments and edificarian habitats (Table 2). all local species will be found in or around The bites of Herpyllus ecclesiasticus (Gna- & buildings. In addition to these three catego- phosidae) (Majeski Durst 1975), Argiope ries, alien species have been occasionally aurantia (Argiopidae) (Gorham & Rheney found in Kansas. These species are usually 1968), Trachelas tranquillus (Corinnidae) found in produce, such as bananas, and sel- (Oehler 1971; Uetz 1973), and Phidippus au- dom establish breeding populations. dax (Salticidae) (Gorham 1968) have pro- RESULTS duced mostly local reactions; however, those of black widow spiders (Latrodectus sp.) can The list oftrue synanthropic spiders in Kan- have much more serious consequences (White sas presently contains 15 species (Table 1). et al. 1995). In Kansas, black widows are The bites of two of these, Loxosceles reclusa sometimes discovered in outbuildings, garages (Sicariidae) and Cheiracanthium mildei (Mi- and carports. turgidae) can produce necrotic lesions that re- Mimetuspuritanus (Mimetidae) and M. no- quire medical attention (Gorham 1968; Spell- man & Levi 1970), and the former is often tius are specialized spider predators which are occasionally found on house eaves near or present in large numbers in Kansas buildings. A sticky trap survey in the University ofKan- within host webs. Euryopis limbata (Theridi- sas Museum of Natural History yielded 231 idae) occurs on walls and eaves of houses spiders in a two year period, 46.7% of these where females produce semicircular, tufted were L. reclusa. Two very common species eggsacs. Two Kansas feeding records and ob- occasionally play beneficial roles in houses. servations elsewhere in its range (Archer Achaearanea tepidariorum (Theridiidae) was 1946; Carico 1978) indicate this species’ diet observed preying upon the lone star tick. Am- consists of ants. Larinioides cornutus (Ar- blyomma americanum (Linnaeus) (Acarina: giopidae) and L. patagiatus build orbwebs on Ixodidae), and Steatoda triangulosa (Theridi- buildings and bridges near water. The large idae) fed upon the brown recluse, L. reclusa orbwebs of Argiope aurantia, A. trifasciata (Guarisco 1991). Studies in New Zealand re- (Argiopidae), and Neoscona crucifera (Ar- vealed that Pholcusphalangioides (Pholcidae) giopidae) attract attention when located on actively invades spider webs and preys upon porches and windows. The large fishing spi- its occupants (Jackson & Brassington 1987). der, Dolomedes tenebrosus (Pisauridae) is of- There are approximately 26 spider species ten found in sheds, basements and houses. which are seasonally abundant in natural en- Funnelweb weavers {Agelenopsis sp.) are of- GUARISCO—HOUSE SPIDERS OF KANSAS 219 — Table 2. Seasonally common spiders in Kansas homes (Category 2). VC = very common, C = common, O = occasional, U = uncommon, R = rare. Abun- Species Distribution dance Mimetus notius Chamberlin 1923 eastern US O Mimetuspuritanus Chamberlin 1923 eastern US O Euryopis limbata (Walckenaer 1841) eastern US, Canada o Latrodectus hesperus Chamberlin & Ivie 1935 western US, Israel o Latrodectus mactans (Fabricius 1775) North America o Latrodectus variolus Walckenaer 1837 eastern US, Canada u Steatoda borealis (Hentz 1850) US, Canada, Alaska o Theridion murarium Emerton 1882 North America c Argiope aurantia (Lucas 1833) North America to Costa Rica o Argiope trifasciata (Forskal 1775) Cosmopolitan o VC Larinioides cornutus (Clerck 1757) Holarctic Larinioidespatagiatus (Clerck 1757) Holarctic o Neoscona crucifera (Lucas 1839) North America, Canary Isl. VC Hogna caroUnensis (Walckenaer 1805) southern Canada, US u Dolomedes tenebrosus Hentz 1843 eastern US, Canada c Agelenopsis naevia (Walcknaer 1841) US, Canada VC Agelenopsispennsylvanica (C.L. Koch 1843) US VC Hibana gracilis (Hentz 1847) eastern US, Canada c Elaver excepta (L. Koch 1866) eastern US, West Indies o Castianeira variata Gertsch 1942 eastern US, southern Canada u Trachelas tranquillus (Hentz 1847) eastern US, southern Canada o Herpyllus ecclesiasticus Hentz 1832 North America c Philodromus vulgaris (Hentz 1847) Holarctic VC Maevia inclemens (Walckenaer 1837) US, Canada c Phidippus audax (Hentz 1845) US, Canada VC Platycryptus undatus (De Geer 1778) North & Central America VC ten located in comers, windows, and porches, dentally imported this spider from Arkansas while Hibana gracilis (Anyphaenidae), Elaver when returning from a weekend trip. excepta (Clubionidae), and Philodromus vul- DISCUSSION garis (Philodromidae) occur most often on ceilings and walls. The robust, hairy jumping The present study provides baseline data spider, Phidippus audax, is often mistaken for concerning house spiders in northeastern Kan- a black widow by the homeowner because of sas. The 15 synanthropic species and most of its coloration. the seasonally common species found in The last category of spiders includes 33 northeastern Kansas homes have been report- species which occur in natural habitats and ed from houses across the United States (Cut- have rarely been found in or on buildings in ler 1973; Kaston 1983). Amaurobius ferox Kansas (Table 3). Further investigation, es- (Amaurobiidae) (Guarisco 1989), Scytodes pecially in other sections of the state, would thoracica (Scytodidae), Cheiracanthium mild- undoubtedly add species to this list. Two alien ei (Guarisco 1991), and Sitticusfasciger (Sal- species have been found in northeastern Kan- ticidae) were first found in the Lawrence area A sas. tropical spider belonging to the genus in the late 1980s. Today, C. mildei is one of Cupiennius (Ctenidae) was discovered in a the most common local house spiders. Since produce shipment at the local community its arrival in North America during the late mercantile (Cutler pers. comm.). An adult fe- 1940s (Bryant 1951), this old world species male Hibana cambridgei (Bryant 1931) (An- has spread from Boston and New York to yphaenidae) was found inside a Lawrence, southern Ontario, Illinois, California, and Al- Kansas residence. The owner may have acci- abama (Dondale & Redner 1982), and has re- 220 THE JOURNAL OF ARACHNOLOGY — — sasTahbolmee3s. (CSaptiedgeorrsyo3f).rare occurrence in/on Kan- —— Table 3. Continue—d Species Distribution Species Distribution Xysticus texanus US, Mexico Mimetus epeiroides eastern US Banks 1904 Emerton 1882 Habrocestumpulex US, Canada Theridion goodnightorum western US (Hentz 1846) Levi 1957 Phidippus insignarius US Stemonyphantes blauveltae US, Canada C.L. Koch 1846 Gertsch 1951 Phidippusputnami US, Mexico Araneuspegnia US to Ecuador, (Peckhams 1883) (Walckenaer 1841) Jamaica Phidippus whitmani US, Canada Hogna helluo US, Canada (Peckhams 1909) (Walckenaer 1837) Tutelina elegans US (Hentz 1846) Pirata sp. Rabidosa punctulata US (Hentz 1844) Schizocosa ocreata North America C placed the native inclusum (Hentz 1847) (Hentz 1844) (Clubionidae) in houses in the northeastern Pisaurina dubia US United States (Gertsch 1979). The mobility of (Hentz 1847) today’s society has hastened the spread ofsyn= Pisaurina mira US, Canada anthropic spiders. Other notable instances of (Walckenaer 1837) Agelenopsis Oklahoma US spiders being found well beyond their native (Gertsch 1936) ranges include, the western black widow (L. Anyphaenafraterna US hesperus) and the brown recluse {Loxosceles (Banks 1896) reclusa) in Maine (Jennings & McDaniel Castianeira descripta US, Canada 1988; McDaniel & Jennings 1983). The native (Hentz 1847) Steatoda borealis (Theridiidae) has been dis- Castianeira variata US, Canada placed by the European species, S. bipunctata Gertsch 1942 (Linnaeus 1758), in buildings in the north- Drassyllus lepidus US eastern United States (Nyffeler et al. 1986). (Banks 1899) Recent surveys of the spider fauna of Cape Drassyllus novus US, Canada Cod, Massachesetts revealed the presence of (Banks 1895) two possible European immigrants, Trochosa Sergiolus montanus North America ruricola (De Geer 1778) (Lycosidae) andLep- (Emerton 1890) thyphantes tenuis (Blackwall 1852) (Linyphi- Zelotes hentzi US, Canada Barrows 1945 idae) (Edwards 1993). Zora pumila US ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (Hentz 1850) Philodromus keyserlingi US, Canada I gratefully acknowledge the following for Marx 1889 help in the completion ofthis project: the Uni- Philodromus marxi US versity of Kansas Department of Entomology Keyserling 1884 for providing laboratory space, the Kansas Bi- Thanatusformicinus Holarctic ological Survey for providing valuable equip- (Clerck 1757) ment, and for critically reviewing the manu- Thanatus rubicellus US, Canada script, Bruce Cutler and Henry S. Fitch ofthe Mello-Leitao 1929 University of Kansas, Bassaniana versicolor North America (Keyserling 1880) LITERATURE CITED Misumenops oblongus Canada to Archer, A.F. 1946. TheTheridiidae orcomb-footed (Keyserling 1880) Guatemala spidersofAlabama. AlabamaMus.Nat, Hist. Pa- Xysticus auctificus US, Canada per, 22:5-67. Keyserling 1880 Bare, J.E. & R.L. McGregor. 1970. An introduc- Xysticusferox US, Canada tion to the phytogeography of Kansas. Univ. (Hentz 1847) Kansas Sci. Bull., 48(26):869-949. GUARISCO—HOUSE SPIDERS OF KANSAS 221 Bryant, E.B. 1951. Redescription of Cheiracan- Jackson, R.R. & R.J. Brassington. 1987. The bi- thium mildei L. Koch, a recent spider immigrant ology ofPholcusphalangioides (Araneae, Phol- from Europe. Psyche, 58:120-123. cidae): predatory versatility, araneophagy and Carico, J.E. 1978. PredatorybehaviourinEuryopis aggressive mimicry. J. Zook, London, 211:227- funebris (Hentz) (Araneae: Theridiidae) and the 238. evolutionary significanceofwebreduction. Zool. Jennings, D.T. & I.N. McDaniel. 1988. Latrodectus Soc. London Symp., 42:51-58. hesperus (Araneae: Theridiidae) in Maine. En- Cutler, B. 1973. Synanthropic spiders Araneae of tomol. News, 99(l):37-40. theTwinCities area. MinnesotaAcad. Sci. J., 39: Kaston, B.J. 1983. Synanthropic spiders. Pp. 221- 38-39. 245. In Urban Entomology: Interdisciplinary Dondale, C.D. & J.H. Redner. 1982. The insects Perspectives. (Frankie & Koehler, eds.). and arachnids ofCanada. Part 9. The sac spiders Majeski, J.A. & G.G. Durst, Sr. 1975. Bite by the ofCanada and Alaska Araneae: Clubionidae and spider Herpyllus ecclesiasticus in South Caroli- Anyphaenidae. Biosystematics Res. Instit., Otta- na. Toxicon, 13:377. wa, Canada. Pub. 1724, 194 pp. McDaniel, I.N. & D.T. Jennings. 1983. Loxosceles Edwards, R.L. 1993. New records of spiders (Ar- reclusa (Araneae: Loxoscelidae) foundinMaine, aneae) from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, including USA. J. Med. Entomol., 20:316-317. two possible European inunigrants. Entomol. Nyffeler, M., C.D. Dondale & J.H. Redner. 1986. News, 104(2):79-82. Evidence for displacement of a North American Edwards, R.L. & E.H. Edwards. 1997. Behavior spider, Steatoda borealis (Hentz), by the Euro- and niche selection by mailbox spiders. J. Ar= pean species S. bipunctata (Linnaeus) (Araneae: achnoL, 25(l):20-30. Theridiidae). Canadian J. Zook, 64:867-874. Fitch, H.S. & V.R. Fitch. 1966. Spiders fromMea- Oehler, C. 1971. Two reports of envenomation by de county, Kansas. Kansas Acad. Sci. Trans., the spider Trachelas tranquillus (Hentz). Cincin- 69(1):11-22. nati J. Med., 52:194. Gertsch, W.J. 1979. American Spiders (2nd ed.). Platnick, N.I. 1997. Advances in spider taxonomy Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., New York. 274 pp. 1992-1995 with redescriptions 1940-1980. New Gorham, J.R. 1968. The brown recluse spider and York Entomol. Soc. and American Mus. Nat. some other venomous spiders in Georgia. San- Hist., New York. 976 pp. script, 11(1):1, 9-13. Scheffer, T.H. 1904. A preliminary list of Kansas Gorham, J.R. & T.B. Rheney. 1968. Envenomation Spiders, Industrialist (Kansas State Agricultural by the spiders Chiracanthium inclusurn and Ar- College) 30(24):371-386. giope aurantia. Observations on arachnidism in Scheffer, TH. 1905. Additions to the listofKansas the United States. J. AmericanMed. Assoc., 206: spiders. Industrialist (Kansas State Agricultural 1958-1962. College) 31(28):435-444. Guarisco, H. 1989. Amaurobius ferox (Araneae: Speilman, A. & H.W. Levi. 1970. Probable enven- Amaurobiidae), a new addition to the Kansas omationby Chiracanthiummildei: aspiderfound fauna. J. Kansas Entomol. Soc., 62(1):127-128. in houses. American J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 19: 729-732. Guarisco, H. 1991. Three species ofhouse spiders first recorded in Kansas: Dysdera crocata (Dys- Uetz, G.W. 1973. Envenomation by the spider deridae), Scytodes thoracica (Scytodidae), and Trachelas tranquillus (Hentz). J. Med. Entomol., 10:227. ACchaedi.raSccain.tThriaunms.,mi9l4d(eli-2)(:C7l3u-b7i6o.nidae). Kansas White, J., J.L. Cardoso & H.W. Fan. 1995. Clinical & toxicology of spider bites. Pp. 259-329. In Guarisco, H. H.S. Fitch. 1991. Spiders of the Handbook of Clinical Toxicology of Animal GuaTKrraiansnscsoa.,,s9HE8.c(o&3l-o4gK)i.:cE!a.l1K8Ri-e1ns2me9ar.nv.es.19K9a0.nsAansnoAtcaatd.edSlciis.t CVeRnComPsresasn,dBPoocisaonRsa.to(nJ.,MNeeiewrY&orJk.,Wh&itLeo,neddosn.).. of the spider family Gnaphosidae in Kansas. Manuscript received25April 1998, revised26No- Kansas Acad. Sci. Trans., 93(l-2):47-54. vember 1998.

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