48 
John R. Holsinger and David C. Culver 
troglobitic but have wide ranges (Fig. 17) and occur outside of the 
Virginia-Tennessee cave region. Anthrobia monmouthia has been found 
in several Virginia caves and is also recorded from caves in south- 
central Kentucky, middle Tennessee, and southern West Virginia (Barr 
1961, 1967a; Holsinger et al. 1976). The Appalachian Valley populations 
of Virginia and West Virginia may represent one or more subspecies 
and are in need of further study. In the study area Bathyphantes weyeri 
is known only from Grand Caverns but is also recorded from caves in 
Arkansas, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin (Ivie 
1969). According to W. J. Gertsch (unpublished data) this species was 
collected once from an epigean habitat. Islandiana muma, an extremely 
rare and poorly known species, was described from Buck Hill Cave in 
Rockbridge County but is also reported from a single cave in Colbert 
County, Ala. (Ivie 1965). 
The most common, widespread linyphiid spider in Virginia and 
Tennessee is Phanetta subterranea. It is also common in caves through- 
out the eastern United States and ranges from Pennsylvania south to 
Georgia and Alabama and west to Illinois and Missouri. Porrhomma 
cavernicolum is also widespread in caves of the study area but is 
generally not as common as P. subterranea. It is recorded from caves 
throughout much of the central and eastern United States and ranges 
from Pennsylvania south to Georgia and west to Missouri and 
Oklahoma. Linyphiids have the widest ranges of any troglobites in 
North America, leading to the speculation that these are morphological 
species, each representing several separate gene pools (Barr 1967a, 
Holsinger et al. 1976). 
With the exception of Eidmannella pallida (formerly Nesticus 
pallidus ), a troglophile or trogloxene relatively common in caves 
throughout much of the United States and Mexico, cavernicolous 
spiders of the family Nesticidae in the study area have relatively 
restricted distributions (Fig. 18). Those that are not troglobites are 
represented by populations primarily limited to caves. The most common 
and widespread nesticid in the Appalachian region is Nesticus carteri, a 
troglophile that is sometimes quite abundant in caves of the Powell 
Valley (Fig. 19D). It is recorded from numerous caves and a few 
epigean localities (ground detritus) in southern Indiana, eastern Kentucky, 
eastern Tennessee, southwestern Virginia, and southeastern West Virginia 
(Gertsch 1984). In or near the study area this species has been collected 
from ground detritus in Dickenson County, Va., and Mercer County, 
W.Va. The type locality of N. carteri is Bat Cave (Carter Caves State 
Park). Carter County, Ky., and not Mammoth Cave as erroneously 
reported by Nicholas (1960) and Holsinger (1963a). 
The other species of Nesticus from the study area have more closely 
circumscribed ranges and are largely restricted to areas east of the 
