Egg sacs of Liocranoides Keyserling, 1881 (Araneae: Zoropsidae) cave spiders

Little is known about reproduction in most cave spiders, including reproductive behaviors, seasonality, and fecundity. In the course of fieldwork in Tennessee caves, we observed aspects of reproduction in three populations of Liocranoides Keyserling, 1881 (Araneae: Zoropsidae) spiders. We observed egg sacs of L. archeriPlatnick, 1999, as well as egg sacs and spiderlings of L. cf. gertschiPlatnick, 1999. The spiders produced a spherical egg sac that hung from the cave ceiling by a single cord of silk. The egg sacs were covered by foreign material including sediment, rocks, and plant roots. Egg sacs were observed in June and July, and spiderlings were observed in July. Three egg sacs that were collected contained 26, 42, and 53 eggs. This is the first description of reproduction in Liocranoides.