Nature Miramichi:

From: David McLeod <mcleodda@nbnet.nb.ca>
Sent: Saturday, July 24, 2021 4:04 PM
To: gadd1313@nb.sympatico.ca; Jessica Bowie <sunshineontreetops@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Nature Miramichi – Spider Identification Request

Hi Jessica,

Sorry for the delay in this reply to your question about the spider identification, but I hadn’t yet seen any reply to your ID request.

It was difficult to see the details needed for accurate identification to the species level, or even to genus. Different camera angles would be needed to see the number and orientation of the eyes, the upper (dorsal) view of the front segment (cephalothorax) and the rear segment (abdomen) to determine the shape, colour and pattern of any markings on each segment. In both photos the view appears to be of the underside (ventral view), the surface where the attachment of the four pairs of legs can most readily be seen in the photo on the vegetation.

It appears that an egg sac is attached to the rear of the upper side of the abdomen where the spinnerets are located. This is a characteristic of Wolf Spiders (Family Lycosidae), of which there are at least 238 species north of Mexico, with the two most common genera being Pardosa and Pirata. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_spider

My first question was how did the spider come to be on the door handle of the car. Was the car parked under a tree allowing the spider to drop down from there, or was it wind-blown after a storm with the egg sac acting as a parachute? Because wolf spiders are usually ground hunters, it seems to be more likely that it was the latter. The car appears to be wet making the sac more likely to adhere to it after making contact. This may be similar to the ballooning behaviour of some spider species where they climb to the tips of grasses or other vegetation and release strands of silk (known as gossamer) into the air on a windy day that then carries them away as a means of dispersal. See: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6001951/

I hope this helps some

Dave

From: Jessica Bowie <sunshineontreetops@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, June 18, 2021 7:39 AM
To: Peter Gadd <gadd1313@nb.sympatico.ca>
Subject: Spider

Good morning Peter,

As I went to get into my car this morning, I noticed something on my door handle. I almost brushed it off thinking it was a leaf or something that had blown over from the neighbouring field. Upon closer inspection I realized it was a spider and its nest of babies(I think). Do you or anyone in the club know what type of spider this is?

I’ve attached a video of it + photo of its successful transfer.

Thanks!

Jessica