Entomology Department

Checklist of spider species from Greenland 

The following checklist of spiders from Greenland is taken from: Larsen,S. & N.Scharff, 2003. The spiders of Greenland - a checklist (Arachnida: Araneae). Entomologiske Meddelser 71(1): 53-61. See this publication for an introduction to the spider fauna of Greenland and for a discussion of the diversity of the spider fauna. Please use this publication as a reference when citing the checklist. One error found in this paper is corrected here. Records of Araneus quadratus (Clerck, 1757) in Greenland is probably all Araneus groenlandicola (Strand, 1906). See Levi (1971) for details.

A total of 70 spider species are currently known from Greenland.

ARANEAE Reference
 
ARANEIDAE (4 species)  
Araneus groenlandicola (Strand, 1906)Levi, 1971 (species of A.quadratus recorded from Greenland is this species)
Hypsosinga groenlandica Simon, 1889Holm (1967, as Singa groenlandica)
Larinioides cornutus (Clerck, 1757)Holm (1967, as Araneus cornutus)
Larinioides patagiatus (Clerck, 1757)Holm (1967, as Araneus ocellatus Clerck, 1758)

DICTYNIDAE (2 species) 

 
Dictyna major Menge, 1869Brændegaard (1946)
Emblyna borealis (O.P. -Cambridge, 1877)Brændegaard (1946, as Dictyna borealis)

GNAPHOSIDAE (2 species) 

 
Gnaphosa lapponum (L. Koch, 1866)Brændegaard (1946, as G. islandica Sørensen, 1898)
Haplodrassus signifer (C. L. Koch, 1839)Brændegaard (1946)

HAHNIDAE (1 species)  

 
Hahnia glacialis Sørensen, 1898Brændegaard (1946) 

Linyphiidae (45 species)  

 
Baryphyma groenlandicum (Holm, 1967)Holm (1967, as Praestigia groenlandica). 
Bathyphantes simillimus (L. Koch, 1879)Holm (1967, as B. eumenoides Holm, 1967
Bolephthyphantes index (Thorell, 1856)Brændegaard (1946, as Bolyphantes index).
Collinsia holmgreni (Thorell, 1871)Brændegaard (1946, as Coryphaeolana holmgreni)
Collinsia spetsbergensis (Thorell, 1871)Brændegaard (1946, as  Microerigone spetsbergensis)
Collinsia thulensis (Jackson, 1934)Brændegaard (1946, as Coryphaeolana thulensis)
Diplocephalus barbiger (Roewer, 1955)Holm (1967, as D. barbatus L.Koch, 1897)
Dismodicus variegatus Jackson, 1938Holm (1967, as D. bifrons decemoculatus Emerton, 1882).
Erigone arctica (White, 1852)Holm (1967, as E. artica soerenseni Holm, 1962 in text and as E.a. soerenseni and E. artica artica (White, 1852) in Table 1.). 
Erigone atra Blackwall, 1833Holm (1967). 
Erigone penessa Thorell, 1878Thorell (1878). Not recorded since the original description and therefore very likely a synonym of another Erigone species. Buckle et al., 1998 suggest that this species may be a synonym of Erigone whymperi, but they did not check the type material of penessa.
Erigone psychrophila Thorell, 1871Brændegaard (1946)
Erigone tirolensis L. Koch, 1872Brændegaard (1946)
Erigone whymperi O.P.- Cambridge , 1877Brændegaard (1946)
Hilaira frigida (Thorell, 1872)Brændegaard (1946)
Hilaira herniosa (Thorell, 1875)Hillyard (1979)
Hilaira vexatrix (O.P.-Cambridge, 1877)Brændegaard (1946, as H. curvitarsis Sørensen, 1898)  
Hybauchenidium gibbosum (Sørensen, 1898)Holm (1967, as Hybocoptus gibbosus). 
Improphantes complicatus (Emerton, 1882)Brændegaard (1946, as L. audax Sørensen, 1898).
Islandiana princeps Brændegaard, 1932Brændegaard (1946).
Lepthyphantes turbatrix (O.P.-Cambridge, 1877)Brændegaard (1946).  
Mecynargus borealis Jackson, 1930Brændegaard (1946, as Typhochraestus borealis), Holm (1967, as Conigerella borealis).  
Mecynargus morulus (O. P.-Cambridge, 1873)Brændegaard (1946, as Rhaebothorax morulus).  
Mecynargus paetulus (O. P.-Cambridge, 1875)Holm (1967, as Rhaebothorax paetulus).
Mecynargus sphagnicola (Holm, 1939)Holm (1967, as Rhaebothorax sphagnicola)
Meioneta jacksoni Brændegaard, 1937Platnick (2001) and Saaristo & Koponen (1998). Note: there has been great confusion to the correct identity of the species of Meioneta/Agyneta occurring in Greenland . See Saaristo & Koponen (1998).  
Meioneta nigripes (Simon, 1884)Brændegaard (1946, as Micryphantes nigripes).  
Metopobactrus prominulus (O.P.-Cambridge, 1872)Holm (1967).  
Neriene peltata (Wider, 1834)Holm (1967, as Linyphia peltata)
Oreonetides vaginatus (Thorell, 1872)Brændegaard (1946).  
Pelecopsis parallela (Wider, 1834)One male specimen was caught in Mellemfjord (69º42'N, 54º35'W), Disko Island in a pitfall trap 24.-28. July 1998 (Larsen & Rasmussen 1999). The species is otherwise known from Asia and Europe (Eskov, 1994)  
Pocadicnemis pumila (Blackwall, 1841)Holm (1967).  
Porrhomma convexum (Westring, 1851)Koponen (1982).  
Sciastes extremus Holm, 1967Holm (1967).  
Scotinotylus alpinus (Banks, 1896)Brændegaard (1946, as Coryphaeolana lapidicola Sørensen, 1898); Holm (1967, as Cochlembolus alpinus).  
Scotinotylus evansi (O.P. -Cambridge, 1894)Brændegaard (1946, as Caledonia evansi).
Scotinotylus sacer ( Crosby , 1929)Holm (1967, as Cochlembolus sacer).  
Semljicola obtusus (Emerton, 1915)Reference: Holm (1967, as Latithorax obtusus), new combination by Saaristo & Eskov (1996).  
Tiso aestivus (L. Koch, 1872)Brændegaard (1946)
Typhochrestus pygmaeus (Sørensen, 1898)Holm (1967).  
Wabasso quaestio (Chamberlin, 1948)Holm (1967, as Diplocentria replicata Holm, 1950). 
Walckenaeria castanea (Emerton, 1882)Koponen (1982, as W. longidens Holm, 1960).  
Walckenaeria clavicornis (Emerton, 1882)Holm (1967, as Cornicularia clavicornis). 
Walckenaeria cuspidata Blackwall, 1833Holm (1967, as Cornicularia cuspidata).
Walckenaeria karpinskii (O.P. -Cambridge, 1873)Brændegaard (1946, as Cornicularia karpinskii).

LYCOSIDAE (8 species)  

 
Alopecosa exasperans (O.P. -Cambridge, 1877)Holm (1967, as Tarentula exasperans).  
Arctosa alpigena (Doleschall, 1852)Brændegaard (1946).  
Arctosa insignita (Thorell, 1872)Brændegaard (1946).  
Pardosa albomaculata Emerton, 1885Hillyard (1979).
Pardosa furcifera (Thorell, 1875)Brændegaard (1946).  
Pardosa glacialis (Thorell, 1872)Brændegaard (1946).  
Pardosa groenlandica (Thorell, 1872)Brændegaard (1946).
Pardosa hyperborea (Thorell, 1872)Brændegaard (1946, as P. saltuaria L. Koch, 1870).

PHILODROMIDAE (1 species)  

 
Thanatus arcticus Thorell, 1872Holm (1967).  
TETRAGNATHIDAE (1 species)  
Tetragnatha extensa (Linnaeus, 1758)Holm (1967). 
THERIDIIDAE (4 species)   
Achaearanea ohlerti (Thorell, 1870)Holm (1967).  
Enoplognatha intrepida (Sørensen, 1898)Brændegaard (1946).  
Robertus fuscus (Emerton, 1894)Koponen (1982). 
Thymoites oleatus (L. Koch, 1879)Holm (1967, as Theridion oleatum).  
THOMISIDAE (2 species)    
Xysticus deichmanni Sørensen, 1898Brændegaard (1946, as X. labradorensis Keyserling, 1887).
Xysticus durus (Sørensen, 1898)Brændegaard (1946).  

 

Platnick (2001) lists another 3 spider species from Greenland. These are:

 

Linyphia emertonii Thorell, 1875

Erigonella groenlandica Strand,1905

Thyphochrestus latithorax (Strand, 1905)

 

These species are not included in this checklist for the following reasons:  

 

Linyphia emertonii Thorell, 1875: One female was recorded under this name by Sørensen (1898) from Isortok, Greenland, on June 15, 1879. The specimen is kept in the collection of the Zoological Museum of Copenhagen and was examined by Holm (1967, p. 68). He was not able to locate the type material (2 males and 1 female from Labrador) but suggested that the specimens was a misidentified Linyphia peltata Wider, 1834 (now placed in Neriene). We have checked Sørensen's specimen and agree with Holm that it is a female peltata. We therefore remove Linyphia emertonii from the checklist of Greenland spiders.

 

Typhochrestus latithorax (Strand, 1905): An adult female of this species was collected at “Havnen” (the Harbour), Rice Strait, by the second Norwegian Arctic Expedition in the “Fram” 1898-1902 and described by Strand as Tarsiphantes latithorax. Rice Strait is located between Pim Island and Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Canada. It has not been recorded from Greenland and should therefore be removed from the checklist of Greenland spiders. Details about the collecting sites are given in Isachsen (1907).

 

Erigonella groenlandica (Strand, 1905): Another species (juvenile) collected by the “Fram” expedition and described by Strand. It came from Fort Juliane, Hayes Sound, Ellesmere Island, Canada. It has not been recorded from Greenland and should therefore be removed from the checklist of Greenland spiders.

 

Back to:ZMUC
Main page		   
Last update: 24 maj 2007