Filistatidae - Kukulcania sp.
Family Filistatidae
Kukulcania sp. Size: Female typically approximately 10-15 mm; male approximately 5 mm Group Guild Status Trogloxene Predator Rare We have only four records of this species in the cave, all in the Jackrabbit Shaft. During the trip of September 24, 2011 RBP observed a filistatid web at the top of the Jackrabbit Shaft. The web contained about a hundred newly hatched spiderlings, which were roaming all over the web. No adults were evident at the time. The observed portion of the nest was its interior, which is seldom so readily observed. The female may have been in the throat of the web structure among rocks at the ground surface above the drilled shaft. Due to the size of the web structure, the animal was evidently a large species, probably Kukulcania, since the genus contains the only large members of this family in North America. We found two male and one female Kukulcania in the Jackrabbit Shaft on October 19, 2014. |
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