Sac Spider - (Trachelas spp.)

Sac Spiders should be a good incentive to keep up with the laundry. They like to hide in the clothes and will bite their way out if they have to.

Staff Writer (2/3/2014): When it comes to catching prey, Sac Spiders are predatory hunters, not web weavers. They use their spider silk to weave tent-like sacs between leaves or on tree trunks for retreats though. Sac Spiders are fast runners. They may appear tan, yellowish or even slightly greenish. Only 8 native species inhabit North America.

The group of various Sac Spiders are known to deliver painful bites to humans. These spiders are not outright aggressive, but if threatened, they bite defensively. Because they are wanderers, they sometimes rest in a pile of clothes (clean or dirty) that have been left on the floor. When someone moves it, or puts on something from the pile, the Sac Spider may get trapped between the clothing and the person's skin and bite him/her to escape.

Like all spiders (except Cribellate Orbweavers), they produce a venom designed to immobilize their insect prey. While their venom is not seriously dangerous like a Brown Recluse's or Black Widow's, Sac Spider bites are slow to heal. It is not uncommon for the bite area to get infected as victims frequently scratch or touch it.

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Details of the:
Sac Spider

Category: Spider
Common name: Sac Spider
Scientific Name: Trachelas spp.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Arachnida

Order: Araneae

Family: Corinnidae

Genus: Trachelas

Species: spp.

Size (Adult, Length): 5mm to 8mm (0.20in to 0.31in)

Identifying Colors: red; brown; tan; green; yellow

Additional Descriptors: biting, venomous

North American Reach (Though Not Limited To*): Alabama; Alaska; Arizona; Arkansas; California; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Hawaii; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Utah; Vermont; Virginia; Washington; West Virginia; Wisconsin; Wyoming; Alberta; British Columbia; Manitoba; New Brunswick; Newfoundland and Labrador; Nova Scotia; Ontario; Prince Edward Island; Quebec; Saskatchewan; Mexico

* Keep in mind that an insect's reach is not limited by lines on a map and therefore may appear in areas/regions/states beyond those listed above.

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