Spiders of North America

"From the long-jawed orb-weaver to the tawny dwarf tarantula, spiders represent a diverse array of organisms. They are present in almost all habitats - dry grasslands and aquatic wetlands alike - and as one of the top invertebrate predators, they play important roles in their respective ecosystems. In addition to their ecological importance, spiders are also known for their silk, which was once used for medicinal purposes, and is now sometimes used in textiles. There are over 49,000 species of spider worldwide, some 4,000 of which can be found in North America. This popular level field guide will explore more than 500 of North America's most common and interesting spiders. The book begins with an overview of spiders - what they are, how to find them, how they grow and develop, and why they are important to have around. The following chapters contain guides to all of the major spider guilds: sensing web weavers, sheet web weavers, orb web weavers, space web weavers, ambush hunters, ground active hunters, other active hunters, and spider hunters. Each chapter contains family-level descriptions with information on how to identify members of each family, and how to distinguish them from members of similar families, followed by descriptions at the genus and species level. The text will be accompanied by color photographs, as well as distribution maps"--Provided by publisher.