The Dolloff cave spider (Meta dolloff) is a spider native to California, among the rarest spiders of North America.[2]
| Dolloff cave spider | |
|---|---|
| |
| Dolloff cave spider found in Empire Cave in Santa Cruz, California | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Tetragnathidae |
| Genus: | Meta |
| Species: | M. dolloff
|
| Binomial name | |
| Meta dolloff | |
This species was listed as vulnerable in 1996 on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals.[1] This doesn't provide legal protection for the species, but the list tracks animals that may become endangered.
Habitat
editThe Dolloff cave spider has been found in caves in the Empire Cave System near University of California, Santa Cruz, and in the Gray Whale Ranch State Park.
Since the discovery of Meta dolloff in the Empire and Dolloff Caves, Santa Cruz, California, M. dolloff have been found to regularly exist and reproduce outside of caves in other subterranean habitats such as railroad tunnels and human-dug soil pits at UC Santa Cruz.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1996). "Meta dolloff". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 1996: e.T13255A3431647. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T13255A3431647.en. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
- ^ "Meta dolloff". Bug Guide. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
- ^ Krohn, Alexander R.; Jones, Alexander S. (2020). "Meta dolloff Levi, 1980 (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) in cave-like environments". The Pan-Pacific Entomologist. 96 (3): 185–187. doi:10.3956/2020-96.3.185. S2CID 222211123.
External links
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