11-Dec-2017 Kent Redux & Covington, Washington

Site location map. Click to enlarge.

Last week, when I found all those juvenile Ozyptila praticola (Thomisidae) in fallen pine cones in Kent, I knew that I should continue the search for a mature specimen by sifting the pine needle litter near the cones. Wet litter and waning daylight eroded my immediate interest in doing so, however. Today, after a week of rain-free, litter-drying weather, and with the sun high in the sky, I returned to complete the task. And to great success!

One of three female O. praticola sifted
from pine needle litter.

An electrical box made a
convenient sifting table.

I sifted one sweep net full of black pine (Pinus nigra) litter and collected 18 spiders and 3 identifiable species: the linyphiids Tachygyna vancouverana and Tenuiphantes tenuis, and my quarry, Ozyptila praticola. This time, there were three females among the O. praticola in addition to several juveniles. Finally, I can verify the presence of the species in Kent!

Covington sampling site

Kent sampling site

I had time for one more sample before sunset (sunset at 4:30 pm really limits field work!), so proceeded east into Covington. Another row of black pines separating two parking lots was my cone source. Some cones had fully opened scales, others only partially, and they were lying on bare soil or a very thin layer of pine needles and maple leaves. I tapped 72 cones and collected only 5 spiders and 2 species: T. vancouverana and an Erigone to be identified to species later.