Skip to content

Cave Biology Data Portal

Subterranean biodiversity of North America and around the globe

  • ExploreExpand
    • Species
    • Taxonomy
    • States and Provinces
    • Karst Regions
    • Caves You Can Visit
  • ResourcesExpand
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Meeting and Events
    • Public Notices
    • News and Updates
  • ContributeExpand
    • Report an Observation
    • Add a Photograph or Image
    • Post an Event
    • Post an Opportunity
    • Add a Reference
    • Add a New Species
    • Report a Correction
  • AboutExpand
    • Acknowledgments
    • Data Sensitivity Policy
    • Citation and Licensing
  • ContactExpand
    • Data Requests
Cave Biology Data Portal
Subterranean biodiversity of North America and around the globe
AnimaliaArthropodaChelicerataArachnidaAraneaeLinyphiidaeMermessus

Spider
Mermessus tridentatus (Emerton, 1882)

Taxonomy

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Subphylum Chelicerata
Class Arachnida
Order Araneae
Family Linyphiidae
Genus Mermessus
Species Mermessus tridentatus (Emerton, 1882)

Description

Diagnostic characters

Ecological class
Trogloxene
Realm
Terrestrial

Distribution

Range

Known from four counties across three states.

Continent

North America

Country

United States

States and provinces

Alabama, Illinois, Tennessee

Counties

Alabama
Calhoun
Illinois
Monroe, Pike
Tennessee
Overton

Conservation and management

NatureServe

GNR Unranked

G1G2G3G4G5

National ranks

United States
NNR
Canada
N4 Apparently Secure

Subnational ranks

Indiana
SNR Unranked
West Virginia
SNR Unranked
Manitoba
SU Unrankable
British Columbia
SU Unrankable
Ontario
S4 Apparently Secure
Quebec
SNR Unranked

State and federal status

Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act

References

  • Lewis, J.J., Moss, P., Tecic, D. & Nelson, M.E. 2003. A conservation focused inventory of subterranean invertebrates of the southwestern Illinois karst. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 65: 9–21.
  • Lewis, J.J. 2005. A biological inventory of caves of the Cumberland Plateau. Tennessee Chapter Cave Program, The Nature Conservancy, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. 156 pp.
  • Peck, S.B. 1989. The cave fauna of Alabama. Part I. The terrestrial invertebrates (excluding insects). National Speleological Society Bulletin 51: 11–33.
  • Webb, D.W., Taylor, S.J. & Krejca, J.K. 1993. The biological resources of Illinois caves and other subterranean environments. Illinois Natural History Survey, Champaign, Illinois, USA. 143 pp.

How to cite this account

Mermessus tridentatus (Emerton, 1882). Cave Biology Data Portal, account SP-1831. https://cavebiology.org/species/mermessus-tridentatus/ (accessed 7 September 2026).

Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.

Spotted something wrong on this page? Report a correction. Accounts are compiled from many sources and corrections from people who know the group are the most useful email we get.

Cave Biology Data Portal

Species accounts, distributions, and conservation status for the subterranean fauna of North America and around the globe, with resources for the cave and karst research community.

Text and data CC BY 4.0. Images all rights reserved unless stated.

Explore

  • Browse
  • Taxonomy

Resources

  • Funding
  • Employment
  • Contribute

About this site

  • About Us
  • Acknowledgments
  • Contact Us
  • Data Sensitivity Policy
  • Citation and Licensing
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Explore
    • Species
    • Taxonomy
    • States and Provinces
    • Karst Regions
    • Caves You Can Visit
  • Resources
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Meeting and Events
    • Public Notices
    • News and Updates
  • Contribute
    • Report an Observation
    • Add a Photograph or Image
    • Post an Event
    • Post an Opportunity
    • Add a Reference
    • Add a New Species
    • Report a Correction
  • About
    • Acknowledgments
    • Data Sensitivity Policy
    • Citation and Licensing
  • Contact
    • Data Requests