Nearctic States & Provinces: AB ON
Collection Locales Mapped by Year Collected:
The Nearctic Spider Database, http://www.canadianarachnology.org/data/spiders/30856
Ozyptila gertschi Kurata, 1944
FAMILY: THOMISIDAE Sundevall, 1833
Genus: Ozyptila Simon, 1864
Species: Ozyptila gertschi Kurata, 1944
Author of this page: Hancock, John (Page complete and awaiting review)
General Comments: This species is sometimes given the common name, toad spider.
Common Names
Family Common Name:
crab spiders
Genus Common Name:
leaflitter crab spiders
Species Common Name:
none
Distribution
Global Distribution: Holarctic
Nearctic States & Provinces:
AB ON
Collection Locales Mapped by Year Collected:
Natural History, Phenology & Image(s)
Feeding Guild:‡
ambushers
‡Feeding guild when noted defined by Uetz, G. W., J. Halaj, and A. B. Cady. 1999. Guild structure of spiders in major crops. Journal of Arachnology 27:270-280.
Recorded Habitats:
Ground dwelling among leaf litter under rocks or laying camouflaged on the ground surface.
Life & Natural History:
Ground dwelling ambush predator. Having a rather flattened body and short stout laterigrade legs, said to resemble diminutive toads.Slow in their movement and easily overlooked. At night some species move up into the field layer (Roberts, 1995). The egg sacs are often found under rocks with the female on guard clinging to the paper-like sac.
Seasonality of Specimen Records:
Image(s) of Habitus:
Credit: Hancock, John
Credit: Hancock, John
Details About Males
Description:
Carapace, dark red to nearly black with red brown median stripe and a V-shaped yellow mark at dorsal groove, bordered by a pair of dark longitudinal stripes. Abdomen, dorsum mottled off-white, yellow brown and black. Legs, yellow brown, femora often speckled ventrad with dark brown.
Male Dimensions:
A+B = 3.5 mm
A = (not recorded)
C = 1.47 mm
Image of External Male Genitalia:
Credit: Hancock, John
Details About Females
Description:
Carapace, beige to brown with pair brown lateral stripes and a V-shaped yellow mark at dorsal groove. Abdomen, dorsum mottled off-white, yellow brown and black. Legs, yellow brown, femora often speckled ventrad with dark brown.
Female Dimensions:
A+B = 4 mm
A = (not recorded)
C = 1.54 mm
Image of Epigynum:
Credit: Hancock, John
Synonyms and Chresonyms†
| Ozyptila gertschi Kurata 1944 |
| Ozyptila gertschi Gertsch 1953 |
| Ozyptila gertschi Wunderlich 1973 |
| Ozyptila gertschi Dondale & Redner 1975 |
| Ozyptila gertschi Dondale & Redner 1978 |
| Ozyptila gertschi Heimer & Nentwig 1991 |
| Ozyptila gertschi Kupryjanowicz 1995 |
| Ozyptila gertschi Wunderlich & Schultz 1995 |
| Ozyptila gertschi Roberts 1998 |
| Ozyptila gertschi Paquin & Dupérré 2003 |
| Ozyptila gertschi Almquist 2006 |
Taxonomic References†
Almquist, S. 2006. Swedish Araneae, part 2--families Dictynidae to Salticidae. Insect Syst. Ecol., Suppl. 63: 285-601.
Dondale, C. D. & J. H. Redner. 1978. The insects and arachnids of Canada, Part 5. The crab spiders of Canada and Alaska, Araneae: Philodromidae and Thomisidae. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada, Publ. 1663: 1-255.
Dondale, C. D. & J. H. Redner. 1975. The genus Ozyptila in North America (Araneida, Thomisidae). J. Arachnol. 2: 129-181.
Gertsch, W. J. 1953. The spider genera Xysticus, Coriarachne and Oxyptila (Thomisidae, Misumeninae) in North America. Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 102: 415-482.
Heimer, S. & W. Nentwig. 1991. Spinnen Mitteleuropas: Ein Bestimmungsbuch. Verlag Paul Parey, Berlin, 543 pp.
Kupryjanowicz, J. 1995. Oxyptila gertshi Kurata, 1944 in Poland - Does O. simplex (O.P.-Cambridge, 1862) occur in Poland (Araneae, Thomisidae)? Bull. Polish Acad. Sci. Biol. Sci. 42: 351-356.
Kurata, T. B. 1944. Two new species of Ontario spiders. Occ. Pap. r. Ontario Mus. Zool. 8: 1-6.
Paquin, P. & N. Dupérré. 2003. Guide d'identification des araignées de Québec. Fabreries, Suppl. 11 1-251.
Roberts, M. J. 1998. Spinnengids. Tirion, Baarn, Netherlands, 397 pp.
Vilbaste, A. 1969. Eesti Žmblikud I. Krabiämbliklased (Xysticidae), Jooksikämbliklased (Philodromidae) ja Hüpikämbliklased (Salticidae). Zooloogia ja Botaanika Instituut, Tallinn, pp. 1-224.
Wunderlich, J. 1973. Zur Spinnenfauna Deutschlands, XV. Weitere seltene und bisher unbekannte Arten sowie Anmerkungen zur Taxonomie und Synonymie (Arachnida: Araneae). Senckenberg. biol. 54: 405-428.
Wunderlich, J. & W. Schultz. 1995. Ozyptila westringi (Thorell 1873), eine in Deutschland seltene Krabbenspinnenart (Arachnida: Araneae: Thomisidae). Beitr. Araneol. 4: 329-333.
†Nomenclature and taxonomic references from the World Spider Catalog accessible at http://research.amnh.org/entomology/spiders/catalog/THOMISIDAE.html
Natural History References
Roberts, M. J. 1995. Collins Field Guide: Spiders of Britain & Northern Europe. HarperCollins, London, 383 pp.
Other Nearctic Members of Genus Ozyptila Simon, 1864‡‡
O. americana Banks, 1895 ...............USA, Canada
O. arctica Kulczynski, 1908 ...............Holarctic
O. atomaria (Panzer, 1801) ...............Palearctic
O. beaufortensis Strand, 1916 ...............USA, Canada
O. brevipes (Hahn, 1826) ...............Palearctic
O. claveata (Walckenaer, 1837) ...............Palearctic
O. conspurcata Thorell, 1877 ...............USA, Canada
O. creola Gertsch, 1953 ...............USA
O. curvata Dondale & Redner, 1975 ...............USA, Canada
O. distans Dondale & Redner, 1975 ...............USA, Canada
O. formosa Bryant, 1930 ...............USA
O. georgiana Keyserling, 1880 ...............USA, Canada
O. hardyi Gertsch, 1953 ...............USA
O. inglesi Schick, 1965 ...............USA
O. monroensis Keyserling, 1884 ...............USA, Canada
O. pacifica Banks, 1895 ...............USA, Canada
O. praticola (C. L. Koch, 1837) ...............Holarctic
O. pullata (Thorell, 1875) ...............Palearctic
O. rauda Simon, 1875 ...............Palearctic
O. scabricula (Westring, 1851) ...............Palearctic
O. simplex (O. P.-Cambridge, 1862) ...............Palearctic
O. sincera Kulczynski, 1926 ...............Holarctic
O. sincera canadensis Dondale & Redner, 1975 ...............USA, Canada, Alaska
O. sincera oraria Dondale & Redner, 1975 ...............USA
O. trux (Blackwall, 1846) ...............Palearctic (Canada, introduced)
O. yosemitica Schick, 1965 ...............USA
‡‡May also include species with Palearctic distribution
Page Reference:
Hancock, John. submitted. Taxonomic and natural history description of FAM: THOMISIDAE, Ozyptila gertschi Kurata, 1944.
In: The Nearctic Spider Database. David P. Shorthouse (editor). World Wide Web electronic publication. Direct link: http://www.canadianarachnology.org/data/spiders/30856 (Accessed: 10/13/2008 1:11:21 PM).
Author Email Address: spidermanjohn@shaw.ca
Text Last Modified: 2006-02-05T20:46:49Z