Pertinacious Inquisitor
Cryptic Coloration in Unidentified Species of Spider
This photo of an unidentified species of spider was taken on Wake Tech's North Campus in October of 2016. The spider, almost imperceptible to the human eye at a glance, makes clever use of cryptic coloration. The granite-colored surface beneath the spider helps to break up the outline of its body, making it more difficult for any natural predators to easily identify it in this particular background. This natural camouflage, derived from its unique pattern of coloration, is the spider's best defense against predation. Its surroundings, extending along the length of the strip of foundation (not pictured) that is its habitat, possesses no other features, or immediate shelter of any kind. Its cryptic coloration, perhaps evolutionarily intended to resemble a light woodland habitat, serves the spider just as well in this man made habitat. It's noteworthy that the pattern of coloration did not match any species with the same size and body shape. Using a dichotomous key for North American spiders, there was no conclusive match. Additionally, the "Insect Identification Database" for North American spiders does not have a picture of any species that matches well with this spider. The closest match by key and image appears to be Loxosceles reclusa, or "texas recluse," a relative of the brown recluse, which is known only to inhabit parts of texas. Another possible match might be a female Longlegged Sac Spider, which fits the profile quite well but just as with the texas recluse, does not have remotely the same coloration. What this might also suggest is that the cryptic coloration of this spider could be an emerging trait, unique to this habitat, of a known species, or that it is perhaps non-native to the region or even North America altogether.
Cryptic Coloration in Unidentified Species of Spider
This photo of an unidentified species of spider was taken on Wake Tech's North Campus in October of 2016. The spider, almost imperceptible to the human eye at a glance, makes clever use of cryptic coloration. The granite-colored surface beneath the spider helps to break up the outline of its body, making it more difficult for any natural predators to easily identify it in this particular background. This natural camouflage, derived from its unique pattern of coloration, is the spider's best defense against predation. Its surroundings, extending along the length of the strip of foundation (not pictured) that is its habitat, possesses no other features, or immediate shelter of any kind. Its cryptic coloration, perhaps evolutionarily intended to resemble a light woodland habitat, serves the spider just as well in this man made habitat. It's noteworthy that the pattern of coloration did not match any species with the same size and body shape. Using a dichotomous key for North American spiders, there was no conclusive match. Additionally, the "Insect Identification Database" for North American spiders does not have a picture of any species that matches well with this spider. The closest match by key and image appears to be Loxosceles reclusa, or "texas recluse," a relative of the brown recluse, which is known only to inhabit parts of texas. Another possible match might be a female Longlegged Sac Spider, which fits the profile quite well but just as with the texas recluse, does not have remotely the same coloration. What this might also suggest is that the cryptic coloration of this spider could be an emerging trait, unique to this habitat, of a known species, or that it is perhaps non-native to the region or even North America altogether.