Arachnerds: 2010

Wednesday, 3 November 2010

Daddy Long Legs Spider - Pholcus phalangioides

    Family - Pholcidae
    Genus - Pholcus
    Also known as Cellar or Skull Spiders.
    These Spiders hang upside down in their webs in rooms or cellars.
    I live in a basement flat, they live above my front door and under
    my bathroom sink.
    They shake very fast in their webs if disturbed, to deter predators.
They may look fragile but they can take out large Tegenaria sp.

    Blue Bottle Luncheon
    Brighton, East Sussex
    04.11.2011

    Bathroom dweller
    Brighton
    06.10.2011

Above front door, Brighton

22/10/2010

Above front door, Brighton
10/11/2010

Brighton
27.09.2011

Bear Road Cemetery, Brighton
03.10.2011

Monday, 25 October 2010

Woodlouse Spiders - Dysdera sp.

    Family - Dysderidae
Genus - Dysdera
These six-eyed, nocturnal Spiders have long Chelicerae/ jaws,
    with large fangs capable of catching and eating Woodlice.
    Found in damp but warm habitats, under stones, logs and other debris.

    Extra Mural Cemetery
    Brighton, East Sussex
    25.10.2011

Brighton Extra Mural Cemetery
01.04.2011

Comb - Footed Spiders - Enoplognatha sp.

Family - Theridiidae
Genus - Enoplognatha
Delicate looking Spiders.
Eight European Species.

Brighton Extra Mural Cemetery
28.07.2011

    Female feasting on a Hoverfly
    Living on Sweetcorn in my back garden
    Brighton, East Sussex
    24.07.2011

Back Garden, Brighton
01.07.2011

Kitchen wall, Brighton
11.07.2011

    Back Garden
    Brighton
    12.05.2011

    Harvestman stash
    Brighton
    30.07.2011

Enoplognatha ovata
11/08/2010

    Enoplognatha ovata
    Brighton Extra Mural Cemetery
    16/08/2010

    Enoplognatha ovata
    Stanmer, Brighton
    22/07/2010

Tube Web Spider - Segestria senoculata

    Family - Segestriidae
    Genus - Segestria
    These Spiders live in Tubular retreats - holes in walls and bark
    and sometimes under stones. The retreats have trip wires connected to
    the entrance. I have observed them backing up and seemingly,
    pulling 'curtains' shut inside their tubular retreat
They are quite aggressive Spiders and are very fast. They rush out to grab
    prey then drag it back into the retreat. First three pairs of legs point forwards.
These Spiders are also known as Snake - Back Spiders.
They have six eyes. Cylindrical, elongated Abdomen.

    Flint wall
    Brighton Extra Mural Cemetery
    09.10.2011

    By my front door.
    Brighton
    10.10.2011

   The Snake-Back
   Lots of them living in Flint Walls
   Brighton Extra Mural Cemetery
   16.08.2011

    Lots of them living in walls of my back garden
    This Male is above my back door
    Brighton
    29.08.2011

Segestria senoculata with an Aphid in it's jaws.

Living around my Kitchen Window Sill
Three of them living in same vicinity.
06.05.2011

    I observed this False Widow - Steatoda nobilis,
    assuming she had been bitten by the largest Segestria senoculata living
    in my back garden walls.
    It took her two days to die. She twitched and shook throughout.
    06.05.2011

Segestria senoculata
Back Garden, Brighton
29/05/2010

Hove, East Sussex
25/05/2010

Back Garden, Brighton
25/09/2010

Segestria senoculata
These two live in very close vicinity of each other by my back door.
Back Garden, Brighton
03/11/2010

Thursday, 21 October 2010

Unidentified Spiders

These are Spiders that I have not been able to identify or cannot be sure
of by using the Collins Guide,

or am unsure of. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

     Zelotes sp. ?
    Brighton & Preston Cemetery
    05.10.2011

Unusual Crab Spider
    Thomisidae
Ozyptila sp. perhaps?
    Brighton, East Sussex
    25.08.11

    My friend Janet Henbane sent me this Photograph of a rather large
    looking Spider that she found in an imported box of Vegetables.
    I sent the image to Peter Harvey of the British Arachnological Society.
    "... may be a large lycosid Lycosa (L. fabrilis is our only British species,
    but it would not be this) or possible a Zoropsis. Either would probably
    originate from southern Europe".

Living in detritus / leaf litter at the foot of a tree.
    Stoneywish Nature Reserve
    Ditchling, East Sussex
    22.07.2011

A Peruvian Spider.
Photo by Robert Manson.
Sheetweb with a tapered funnel on "a clump of grass-like vegetation.
It was in Cloud Forest at about 2,700 metres.
It was about 2 to 3 inches" in size.
Inca Trail, Winay Wayna, Peru.
June 2011

Nesting on a small tree.
Brighton Extra Mural Cemetery, East Sussex
29.06.2011

Theridion sp. I think
    Same as above, with hatched Spiderlings.
    Brighton Extra Mural Cemetery
    09.07.2011

I found this Spider living in a long sac,
    under a clump of fallen moss, in the shadow of the
    roots of an upturned tree in the copse along the edge
    of the Heath.
    Kings Standing, Ashdown Forest
    31.05.2011

    Agelenatea redii, or possibly Araneus (Atea) sturmi
Many thanks to Peter Harvey of the British Arachnological
    Society Spider Recording Scheme for his advice with this Spider.
    Brighton Extra Mural Cemetery
    22.03.2011

Zelotes sp. or Drassyllus pusillus (?)
    Living on a fence-post
    Kingley Vale Nature Reserve, West Sussex
    15.04.2011

Zelotes sp. or Drassyllus pusillus (?)
    Many thanks to Peter Harvey of the British
    Arachnological Society Spider recording Scheme
    for his help and advice with these Spiders.
Jevington, East Sussex
    Living on a fence-post around a Horse field.
    25.03.2011