With over 40,000 described species, spiders have adapted to nearly every terrestrial environment across the globe. Over half of the world’s spider families live within the three contiguous Pacific Coast states―not surprising considering the wide variety of habitats, from mountain meadows and desert dunes to redwood forests and massive urban centers. This beautifully illustrated, accessible guide covers all of the families and many of the genera found along the Pacific Coast, including introduced species and common garden spiders. The author provides readers with tools for identifying many of the region’s spiders to family, and when possible, genus and species. He discusses taxonomy, distribution, and natural history as well as what is known of the habits of the spiders, the characters of families, and references to taxonomic revisions of the pertinent genera. Full-color plates for each family bring to life the incredible diversity of this ancient arachnid order. "This guide will be your go-to reference." -- Bob Walch ― The Californian Published On: 2014-11-10 "This guide will be your go-to reference." -- Bob Walch ― The Californian Published On: 2014-11-10 R.J. Adams is a special education teacher and wildlife tour leader in Monterey, California. He has a BS in biology from Humboldt State University, California and an MS in biology emphasizing entomology and host-parasite coevolution from the University of Utah. Tim D. Manolis is an artist, illustrator, and biological consultant. From 1986 to 1990, he was the editor and art director of the magazine Mainstream . His papers on birds and his bird illustrations have appeared in many journals and magazines. He is the author of Dragonflies and Damselflies and illustrator of Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions . Field Guide to the Spiders of California and the Pacific Coast States By R. J. Adams, Tim D. Manolis UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Copyright © 2014 Regents of the University of California All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-520-27661-1 Contents Acknowledgments, ix, INTRODUCTION, 1, SPIDER FAMILY ACCOUNTS, 27, Theraphosidae, 28, Nemesiidae, 33, Antrodiaetidae, 35, Euctenizidae, 39, Ctenizidae, 43, Dipluridae, 46, Mecicobothriidae, 47, Hypochilidae, 49, Filistatidae, 52, Segestriidae, 54, Caponiidae, 56, Oonopidae, 59, Dysderidae, 61, Trogloraptoridae, 63, Scytodidae, 64, Sicariidae, 65, Diguetidae, 68, Plectreuridae, 70, Pholcidae, 73, Leptonetidae, 77, Telemidae, 79, Mysmenidae, 81, Anapidae, 82, Uloboridae, 83, Oecobiidae, 85, Mimetidae, 88, Nesticidae, 90, Theridiidae, 93, Araneidae, 110, Tetragnathidae, 126, Pimoidae, 131, Linyphiidae, 133, Anyphaenidae, 140, Miturgidae, 143, Clubionidae, 145, Corinnidae, 146, Liocranidae, 152, Prodidomidae, 155, Gnaphosidae, 156, Salticidae, 167, Thomisidae, 180, Philodromidae, 187, Selenopidae, 191, Sparassidae, 192, Homalonychidae, 195, Zoridae, 197, Dictynidae, 198, Cybaeidae, 205, Hahniidae, 209, Zodariidae, 214, Tengellidae, 215, Pisauridae, 217, Zoropsidae, 220, Oxyopidae, 220, Lycosidae, 223, Agelenidae, 232, Amaurobiidae, 237, Titanoecidae, 241, Desidae, 243, Amphinectidae, 244, Glossary, 247, Additional Resources, 253, References, 257, Index, 287, PLATES FOLLOW, PAGE 150, CHAPTER 1 SPIDER FAMILY ACCOUNTS THERAPHOSIDAE Tarantulas or Baboon Spiders Pl. 1 IDENTIFICATION: While the family Theraphosidae contains the largest spiders in North America, it also includes several small desert-dwelling species. All tarantulas have urticating hairs on their abdomens and thick claw tufts on each tarsus. Adult males have two-pronged tibial mating spurs on their first legs. The larger species have thick coats of long hairs over an underlying pubescence, giving them a distinctly furry look, while on smaller species, the long hairs are finer and more diffuse, giving these spiders a more velvety appearance. SIMILAR FAMILIES: Members of the family Theraphosidae are most likely to be mistaken for velveteen tarantulas (Nemesiidae, p. 33). Superficially similar, nemesiids lack claw tufts and urticating hairs, have noticeably longer posterior lateral spinnerets, and have three tarsal claws. Additionally, these two families have a fairly segregated distribution, overlapping only across a narrow band running through Central and Northern California. Some of the larger wolf spiders (Lycosidae, p. 223) could be mistaken for small tarantulas, but they are generally more overtly patterned, with a distinctive eye arrangement. Wolf spiders also run with their long, thin legs splayed out, while tarantulas generally hold their thick legs closer to their bodies, elevating their cephalothoraxes and abdomens higher off the ground. PACIFIC COAST FAUNA: One genus with 18 currently described species. The only tarantula genus native to North America, Aphonopelma (pl. 1) is in need of a careful and thorough