Herpyllus ecclesiasticus Hentz, 1832

parson spider

Females

• 
• 
• 

How to Identify Herpyllus ecclesiasticus Hentz, 1832

Family: GNAPHOSIDAE Pocock, 1898

Genus: Herpyllus Hentz, 1832

Species: Herpyllus ecclesiasticus Hentz, 1832

Origin of Name: The specific epithet ecclesiaticus is derived from the Latin word ecclesia, which means church.

Official Common Name: parson spider

Males A = 2.53 mm  B = 2.83 mm  C = 1.95 mm

Females A = 3.64 mm  B = 4.11 mm  C = 2.75 mm

Range

Southern Alberta to Nova Scotia, south to Texas, northern Mexico, and Florida. West of the continental divide, Herpyllus propinquus (Keyserling, 1887) is usually found instead of this species.

Typical Habitats

In buildings and under logs and stones. Individuals have also been found in association with oak, maple, cottonwood, basswood, pine, other similar trees, and pitcher plants.

Activity Patterns

Mature males and females have been found year-round. Females have been found guarding their egg sacs under loose bark where they may also overwinter.

Other Web Pages

The Nearctic Spider Database (http://www.canadianarachnology.org/data/spiders/27400)