Arctosa leopardus

    Family : Lycosidae
    Genus : Arctosa
    Size: Female - 9mm / Male - 7mm

    I found this handsome, and quite rare spider, hunting in the damp moss
    around the edge of a dew pond. I sent him to Peter Harvey of the B.A.S.
    and the S.R.S., he ID'd the spider as an adult male A. leopardus.

    Jewish Cemetery
    Brighton, East Sussex
    30.06.13

Achaearanea simulans

    Family : Theridiidae
    Genus : Achaearanea
    Size : Female - 4mm / Male - 3mm
    Spiders of the family, Theridiidae, weave quite large, three dimensional,
    messy looking, tangled webs. Achaearanea are characterized by a high
    abdomen. I usually find these spiders, hidden amongst leaf debris caught in
    their web.

 

    I found this Spider, in an old woodland, along the edge of Bevendean

    Down, East Sussex. I bent down, to look under a log and noticed this Spider

    hanging from my head. ID'd by Peter Harvey of the British Arachnological

    Society and the Spider Recording Scheme, as an adult female A. simulans.

    Bevendean Down, 

    East Sussex

    29.06.13

    Source material : Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe by Dick Jones.

Sitticus pubescens

    Family : Salticidae
    Genus : Sitticus

    A new find for me, a beautiful little jumping spider.
    Confirmed by Peter Harvey of the British Arachnological Society
    and the Spider Recording Scheme, as an adult male Sitticus pubescens.

    Paynes Southdown Bee Farms Ltd.,
    Hassocks, West Sussex
    07.05.13

    I found this second, male S. pubescens on a door, he sat in the same place for
    nearly a week!
    Paynes Southdown Bee Farms Ltd.,
    Hassocks, West Sussex
    19.06.13

 

    I spotted this one, much to my surprise, on my outer kitchen wall.

    Brighton, East Sussex

    13.07.13

Clubiona reclusa

    Family : Clubionidae
    Genus : Clubiona

 

    Female Clubiona reclusa - ID confirmed by Peter Harvey of the

    British Arachnological Society and Spider Recording Scheme.

    I found this nocturnal Spider, in her daytime, silken retreat. Fashioned in

    an old, dry, Nettle leaf, in low vegetation, next to a dew pond.

    Jewish Cemetery 

    Brighton, East Sussex

    14.07.13

    

Spiders Calendar 2013

Spiders of Malaysia

    I was very fortunate to meet Lawrence Siow online today.
    Lawrence lives in Malaysia and is a freelance photographer.
    He has very kindly allowed me to post some of his amazing Macro
    photographs of Spiders that he has found.
    I look forward to seeing more of Lawrence's fantastic work!
    More of Lawrence's photography can be seen on his Facebook page HERE.

 

    Ant-mimic Spider

    Myrmarachne sp. ?

 

 

    Jumping Spiders
    Salticidae

 

    I think this beauty is the Malaysian Orange Huntsman

    Thelcticopis modesta

    Sparassidae sp.

 

    Argiope sp. ?

    Batu Pahat
    Johor, Malaysia
    All Photographs copyright Lawrence Siow 2012
    
   

Spiders of India

    My friend Julia Ratcliffe has very kindly allowed me to post this great
    photo of a Spider that she and her partner found "in the State of Megalaya
    next state to Assam in the Tribal regions of India. The wettest place on earth
    is called Cherrepunjee. It is a deep jungle valley with loads of bizarre insects
    there. We were told they find new species there often. We saw loads of these
    strange purple and black wasps about the size of your thumb and loads of
    weird spiders".

    Family : Nephilidae
    Genus : Herennia
    Possibly Herennia multipunctata, known as the Fluted orb weaving Spider.
    Many thanks to Mark Bushell for Id.
    H. multipuncta is an invasive species and is synanthropic, often found in
    houses, gardens, farms, roadsides, garbage dumps.
    Like in the related genus Nephilengys, the much smaller males mutilate and
    sever their pedipalps, which are often found stuck in the epigynum or female
    genital openings. It is suggested that they act as mating plugs to prevent other
    males from mating with the female and thereby ensure the paternity of
    offspring. The males cannot mate subsequently and such "eunuch"
    individuals continue to stay near the female. (Wikipedia)
    Cherrepunjee
    Megalaya
    India
    December 2012
    Photograph by Julia Ratcliffe