Mystery Egg Sacs


I believe all of these are spider egg sacs, but would like to determine what they are as specifically as possible. I realize the chances of further ID are slim for most of these. If any of these are typical of a genus or family, that would be very helpful to know. Any comments will be much appreciated. Email: ceiseman(AT)gmail(DOT)com

1. Pelham, MA, 9/26/2007 - About 1 cm. I found a number of these throughout western MA last fall, always attached to a twig in a forest habitat. I got spiderlings to emerge from one; see here.

2. Colchester, VT, 10/17/07 - Less than 1 cm, inside a curled leaf on a tree. That's an assassin bug nymph lurking behind it, not a green spider.

5. Colrain, MA, 7/6/04 - Araneid egg sac; Very springy yellow silk, attached to leaf in garden. The spiderlings are from an identical egg sac found attached to a tree trunk elsewhere in western MA; emerged on 7/12/07.

7. Northwestern MA, 10/4/07 - Attached to a tree trunk. Phrurotimpus?

8. Huntington, VT, 11/4/07 - Very small; attached to sapling.

9. Myakka River State Park, FL, 2/17/08 - 11 mm; attached to leaf in litter. Gnaphosid?

10. Myakka River State Park, FL, 2/17/08 - 7 mm long; attached to Spanish moss.

11. Ann Arbor, MI, 11/22/07 - Found attached to log in firewood pile. Debris covering broken open in second photo to show eggs. Spiderlings had emerged by 1/22; apparently agelenids.

12. Ocala National Forest, FL, 2/20/08 - Less than 1 cm; on upper side of leaf.

13. Stoddard, NH, 12/30/07 - About an inch wide, I think, on outside of garage. Presumably an araneid?

14. Okefenokee Swamp, GA, 2/16/08 - 35 mm; attached to a twig along its whole length. I thought this was a moth cocoon, but a lepidopterist suggested it might be a spider egg sac, so I've included it on this page too. I don't know of anything other than an Argiope that would make an egg sac this big, though, and I'm not aware of any that look anything like this.

Bonus question. Pelham, MA, 9/28/07 - What fungus is this? Attached to the underside of a spicebush leaf.

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All images on this web site © 2008 by Charley Eiseman