The ogre-faced spider Deinopis spinosa is the sole representative of the family Deinopidae in the US. Museum records suggest this species is restricted to the extreme southeastern US (Alabama and Florida) and Jamaica. Through nocturnal surveys and records from naturalist-oriented internet sites, we have discovered that this species is more widely distributed in the Coastal Plain region of the southeastern US. Herein, we document new state records for Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas, significantly expanding the known range of the species. It is unknown whether these records represent a recent range expansion or if the spider has historically been overlooked due to its cryptic nature and habits.
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1 May 2018
Recent Noteworthy Distribution Records for Deinopis spinosa (Marx, 1889) (Araneae: Deinopidae) in the Southeastern United States
Dirk J. Stevenson,
Grover Brown,
Houston Chandler,
D. Dye Daniel,
Christopher Garza,
Marks McWhorter,
Matt Moore,
Aimée Thomas
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