Southeast suburban spider safari

[padkison]

I've been going out during warm nights (50F+) this winter and looking for local true spiders. This takes place around the Raleigh/Cary area of North Carolina.

So far I've found several species of wolf spiders, nursery web spider, large funnel web spiders and dolomedes.

Here are some pictures of a trip my daughter and I took last night.

The staging area (behind a distribution center near a large flood control lake).
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/padkison/StagingArea.jpg

The woods between the center and the lake.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/padkison/TheWoods3.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/padkison/TheWoods2.jpg

One finds the spiders by looking for their glowing eyes in the headlamp light.

Rabidosa species of wolf spider found in grassy area at edge of woods. About 1.5" legspan. There is another, larger species I've found in the summer that is about 2" in legspan.
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/padkison/Rabidosa.jpg

In the cup
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/padkison/Rabidosa2.jpg


Hogna georgicola burrow. These are hidden under the leaves and are found by spotting the spider's eyes glowing as it sits just outside the burrow. No way one could find these by day.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/padkison/Burrow.jpg

Excavated burrow with occupant
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/padkison/LeavingBurrow.jpg

A shot of her ventral surface
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/padkison/HoldMe.jpg


Soil centipede uncovered while excavating burrow
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/padkison/SoilCentipede.jpg

Spiders were a little scarce due to the temperature.

[KUJordan]

looks like a fun time. yeah, some of those Lycosids can have deceptively bright eye shines for their size. Kind of like how you can't tell the size of a fish on your line by how much force it fights with...

[cacoseraph]

nice wolfs.

that centipede looks to be a blind giant centipede of the Scolopocryptops species
http://www.geocities.com/blight_child/centis/states/cent_NC.html

[padkison]

Got some more spider shots

Widows
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/padkison/WidowF1.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/padkison/WidowM1.jpg

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/padkison/WidowF2.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/padkison/WidowM2.jpg

Some colorful beetle grub
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/padkison/RedSpotBeetleGrub.jpg

Pisuarina mira (2" leg span)
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/padkison/PMira1.jpg
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h73/padkison/PMira2.jpg

[buthus]

padkison! Thank you dude! Those variolus pics tell me so much info ...I wish I could root around there myself!
All the pics are awsome. The beetle grub is crazy nice. :D