Titanoeca americana

Emerton, 1888

Titanoeca americana is a of true spider in the Titanoecidae, first described by Emerton in 1888. It is one of several species in the Titanoeca, which are small to medium-sized spiders characterized by their cribellate silk production. The species is known from North America, with records from the United States.

Common Spiders U.S. 493 Titanoeca americana by James Henry Emerton (1847 – 1931). Used under a Public domain license.

Titanoeca americana 1 by G. Blagoev. Used under a CC0 license.

Titanoeca americana 3 by G. Blagoev. Used under a CC0 license.

Images

Distribution

North America; specifically recorded from the United States. Distribution records indicate presence in North America broadly and USA specifically.

More Details

Taxonomic placement

Titanoeca americana belongs to the Titanoecidae, a small family of cribellate spiders. The Titanoeca was historically placed in the family Amaurobiidae but was elevated to family status based on morphological and molecular evidence. Titanoecidae spiders are characterized by the presence of a cribellum, a silk-producing organ that generates non-sticky, woolly silk used to capture prey.

Data availability

This is poorly represented in public databases. As of the knowledge cutoff, iNaturalist records 31 observations, suggesting it is infrequently encountered or underreported. No detailed ecological studies, behavioral observations, or accounts were found in the provided sources.