Arachnerds: July 2011

Sunday 24 July 2011

Pachygnatha clercki

    Family - Tetragnathidae
    Genus - Pachygnatha
    Three European species of Pachygnatha.
    Large Jawed Spiders. Found at ground level during daytime
and high up on vegetation at night.
    Adults seemingly make no webs.

    I found this Female at ground level in damp conditions in
    a Broad Bean Field.
    Blackberry Wood Trail
    Nr. Ditchling, East Sussex
    21.07.2011

    Found near water.
    Wildlife Nature Reserve
    Tattershall Road
    Lincolnshire
    17.09.2011

Thursday 14 July 2011

Wolf Spiders - Trochosa sp.

    Family - Lycosidae
    Genus - Trochosa
    Four European species.
Quite a chunky Spider. Nocturnal hunter.
Females make shallow burrows, where they sit during the day.

Brighton Extra Mural Cemetery
16.08.2011

    Juvenile
    Found under dry bark at the edge of a field, not far from water.
    Barcombe Mills
    East Sussex
    26.07.2011

    Arlington Reservoir
    East Sussex
    11.08.2011

Brighton & Preston Cemetery
05.10.2011

Female carrying Egg Sac
    King's Standing
    Ashdown Forest
    09.05.2011

Female
Living in a Webbed burrow in sandy soil in a grass field
    Burton Mill Pond Nature Reserve
    West Sussex
    22.04.2011

    Juvenile
    Found in grass alongside a Flint wall at the edge of Friston Forest.
    12.07.2011

Brighton Extra Mural Cemetery
17.10.2010

Brighton Extra Mural Cemetery
28.09.2010

Wolf Spiders - Pirata sp.

    Family - Lycosidae
    Genus - Pirata
Eight Pirata species known in Europe, seven of which inhabit wet,
    marshland as well hunting on damp moss. They can run across water
    and catch insects on or just below the surface.
    Elongated U-shaped on the carapace.
    Carapace sometimes fringed with white hairs.

Female with Egg Sac

Female carrying Spiderlings

    Spiderlings
    Pevensey Marshes
    Sussex Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve
    East Sussex
    20.08.2011

   Found this one seemingly, frantically chasing Pond Skaters
   on the surface of a Pond.
   Stanmer Park, East Sussex
   July 25.07.2011

Old Lodge Nature Reserve
    Ashdown Forest
    East Sussex
    30.06.2011

Burton Mill Pond, West Sussex
22.04.2011

Juvenile Pirata sp.

Found running across a Dew Pond

Cuckmere Haven, East Sussex
17.04.2011

Many thanks to Peter Harvey of the British Arachnological

Society Spider Recording Scheme for Id.

Wolf Spider - Xerolycosa nemoralis

    Family - Lycosidae
    Genus - Xerolycosa
    A new Lycosid for me.
    I sent this photograph to Peter Harvey of the
    British Arachnological Society and Spider Recording Scheme.
    This is what he had to say:
    "A wolf spider typically found on sparsely vegetated areas with litter
    and bark or comparable. The dune species X. miniata can be very similar,
    but is pretty strictly a dune spider. X. nemoralis is Nationally scarce,
    but can be abundant in suitable habitat areas on southern heathlands".

Found on very dry terrain at the edge of a Heathland that is being restored.
Pulborough Brooks RSPB Nature Reserve
West Sussex
11.07.2011
Click HERE for Spider Recording Scheme summary of Xerolycosa nemoralis

Four Spot Orb Weaver Spider - Araneus quadratus

    Family - Araneidae
    Genus - Araneus
    Colour varies from pale yellow, to greenish grey, orange,
    red and dark reddish brown.
    A common spider found on tall grasses, heather and gorse.