European Long-tailed Scorpion
Euscorpius flavicaudis
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length 35–45mm. Dark brown body and pincers, and paler legs. Sting on the end of its tail is yellowish.
HABITAT
An uncommon species found in southern and central Europe, including in gardens; favours cracks in old walls. In Britain there is a well-known colony at the docks in Sheerness in Kent, where it arrived by boat in the 1860s; small colonies are reputed to exist elsewhere.
FOOD AND HABITS
Most active at night, taking cover during the day. Feeds on small insects, spiders, woodlice and other scorpions. Ambushes prey from the entrance to its home, and despatches it with its claws. Mildly venomous and rarely uses its sting, which is like a bee sting to humans.
Garden Spider
Araneus diadematus
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length to 18mm (f), 9mm (m). Abdomen bears a white cross. Colours vary from pale yellowish-brown to very dark brown. Male has a smaller abdomen than female. Also called Cross Spider.
HABITAT
Common in woodland, heathland, gardens and hedges across northern Europe.
FOOD AND HABITS
A web-spinner that preys on flies and other insects. In autumn the female lays up to 800 eggs in a single mass; they are protected by a layer of silk. She stays with them until her death a month later. The classic orb webs of these spiders are most obvious in late summer–autumn, when the spiders mature.
How an orb web is made
Green Orb-weaver
Araniella cucurbitina
Length 3.5–6mm. Female has a green abdomen with dark brown spots, and a brown head and legs. Slightly smaller male has a smaller abdomen and an orange-brown head. Found in low bushes and trees across Europe. Adults are seen summer–autumn. Web is small and haphazard. Egg sacs are attached to the undersides of leaves and covered by a mass of silk. The leaves bearing the egg sacs fall to the ground; young emerge in spring.
Common Orb-weaver
Meta segmentata
Length 4–8mm. Colours are very variable, but the pattern on the abdomen is more or less constant. Abundant in gardens and other well-vegetated habits that will support its orb web. Adults mature late summer–autumn. When disturbed, male especially stretches his legs forwards along leaves or stems. Web is slung from vegetation up to 2m above ground. Spherical egg sacs are attached to vegetation near the nest.
Missing Sector Orb-weaver
Zygiella x-notata
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length to 9mm (f), 6mm (m). Leaf-like dark pattern fringed with pink on the abdomen. Very long front legs. Male is similar to female, but smaller.
HABITAT
Widespread throughout Europe except Finland. Favours human habitation.
FOOD AND HABITS
Slings a vertical web around window- and door-frames. There are empty sectors at the top of the web, hence the common name of this spider. Waits in a crevice for insect prey to become trapped in the web.
Wasp Spider
Argiope bruennichi
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length to 25mm (f), 7mm (m). Female is much larger and more colourful than male, with a black-and-yellow-barred abdomen.
HABITAT
Near field edges, in woodland clearings, on waste ground and in gardens. Found in Europe as far as Sweden. In Britain it was first discovered in Sussex in the 1940s.
FOOD AND HABITS
Adults seen June–September. Low-built orb-type web traps jumping insects such as grasshoppers. Female lays eggs in a large and fluffy egg sac close to the web. This has thick zigzag stitching (stabilimentum) worked into the centre (purpose disputed).
Giant House Spider
Tegenaria duellica
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length to 16mm (f), 14mm (m). A grey-brown sheet-web weaver with pale markings. Male is smaller than female, but has longer (50–60mm) legs. Among the largest of European spiders.
HABITAT
Widespread in northern Europe near human habitation and in rocky and wooded places.
FOOD AND HABITS
May be seen running across floors at night, especially in the autumn, when the males are seeking mates. Builds a triangular web with a tubular retreat in the corner, where it waits for its prey to become entrapped. Females may live for many years.
Mothercare Spider
Theridion sisyphium
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length 2.5–4mm. Brown thorax and a boldly marked abdomen. Female is slightly larger than male.
HABITAT
Widespread in northern Europe in woodland margins, scrub, hedges and gardens.
FOOD AND HABITS
Female spins a three-dimensional web of criss-cross strands on bushes, particularly gorse, making a retreat at the top, where she rears her brood. She guards her greenish-blue egg sac and feeds her young by regurgitation. Maturity is reached in summer.
Rabbit Hutch Spider
Steatodea bipunctata
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length to 8mm (f), 5mm (m). Female has a reddish-brown abdomen with thin pale markings near the thorax. Male has a narrow white marking down the centre of the abdomen and much larger palps (which contain sex organs).
HABITAT
Widespread around houses and outbuildings in northern Europe. Sometimes found in rabbit hutches, hence its name.
FOOD AND HABITS
Females found all year, males only in summer–autumn. Males have ridges and teeth under the carapace and abdomen, with which they create sounds to attract females.
Toothed Weaver
Textrix denticulata
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length 6–7mm. Male and female are similar in size and appearance. Spinnerets (glands that spin silk threads), located at the base of the abdomen, are especially prominent.
HABITAT
Widespread throughout northern Europe, both in open countryside and homes.
FOOD AND HABITS
Females are seen throughout the year, males in summer only. Often seen running over warm ground in summer. Web is a triangular sheet with a tunnel-like retreat at the apex.
Red-and-white Cobweb Weaver
Enoplognatha ovata
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length 3–6mm. Very pale brown thorax. Abdomen is creamy with two pink bands (as shown), a single broad pink band or no band, but always with pairs of black dots. Male is smaller than female and has a smaller abdomen. Also called Candy-stripe Spider.
HABITAT
Low vegetation and bushes.
FOOD AND HABITS
Flimsy three-dimensional web has sticky outer sections for trapping small insects. Female guards her bluish egg sac beneath a leaf, which is often rolled. Maturity is reached in summer.
Hammock Sheet-weaver
Linyphia triangularis
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length 5–6.6mm. Female’s abdomen is roughly triangular in profile, and pale in colour with brown triangular marks down the centre. Male’s abdomen is slimmer and lacks any triangular marks.
HABITAT
Widespread in Europe wherever there are trees or other plants with stiff foliage.
FOOD AND HABITS
Adults seen midsummer–late autumn. Slings a hammock-like web in bushes, then hangs beneath the web and waits for insects to fall into it.
Lace Weaver Spider
Amaurobius similis
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length 9–12mm (f), 6–8mm (m). Colour of abdomen varies from green to brown, and contains dark marks.
HABITAT
Common and widespread near human habitation across Europe.
FOOD AND HABITS
Female found throughout most of the year, but male seen only in late summer–autumn. Spins a lace-like web across a small hole or crevice in which it hides. Web can have a scruffy and patchy appearance.
Downy Jumper
Sitticus pubescens
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length 4–5mm. Dull brown in colour, but with light patches and covered with light hairs. Sexes are similar, but male has a smaller abdomen than female. Like Zebra Spider (opposite) and other jumping spiders, has two very large forwards-facing eyes; the six other eyes are smaller.
HABITAT
Usually near human habitation. Widespread but localized across northern Europe.
FOOD AND HABITS
Hunts prey by stalking and leaping upon it. Jumps well. Its very good eyesight enables it to work out how far to jump to reach its prey. Jumping spiders rarely spin webs.
Zebra Spider
Salticus scenicus
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length 5–7mm. Hairy, and black with variable white marks (hence the common name). Legs are greyish. Short front legs and extremely large eyes. Male is smaller than female.
HABITAT
Widespread throughout northern Europe. Often found on walls and fences near human habitation.
FOOD AND HABITS
Adults evident May–August. Stalks prey using its keen eyesight, which enables it to detect movement as much as 30cm away, then leaps upon it. Active in warm weather, especially in sunshine.
Fillet Sac Spider
Clubiona comta
Length 3–6mm. Pale brown thorax and legs. Brown abdomen with creamy markings. Male is slightly smaller than female. Common in northern Europe in any habitat with trees and bushes. Found spring–summer. Nocturnal hunter that spends the daytime hidden in silken cells under stones, among vegetation or under bark.
Spotted Wolf Spider
Pardosa amentata
Length 5.5–8mm. Dark and variably patterned. Male is smaller than female. Widespread in northern Europe in low-growing vegetation and on open ground. Female seen spring–autumn; male disappears after midsummer. Female carries eggs in a silken sac attached to her spinnerets. When the young spiders hatch, they climb onto her back and are carried for a short time.
Nursery-web Spider
Pisaura mirabilis
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length 10–15mm. Sexes are similar, but male is smaller than female and has a narrower abdomen. Colours vary from yellow to brown, with markings that may be very clear or even absent.
HABITAT
Widespread in grassland, heathland, woodland and gardens across northern Europe.
FOOD AND HABITS
Seen in summer. Diurnal hunter. Runs swiftly and suns itself on plants. Female carries her egg-cocoon with her fangs. She later spins a silken tent over it, then stands guard until the young disperse.
Water Spider
Argyroneta aquatica
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length to 15mm. Brown and rather mouse-like.
HABITAT
Ponds, lakes, dykes and sluggish streams across Europe.
FOOD AND HABITS
Builds a diving bell by trapping air in the middle of a sheet-like web spun among pond plants underwater. Visits the surface and collects air between the hairs on its abdomen, releasing this into the diving bell by stroking the hairs on its back legs. Lives in the bell, leaving it only to hunt for food such as small fish, tadpoles and other pond life. May spend winter sealed inside an old snail’s shell.
Woodlouse Spider
Dysdera crocata
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length to 15mm (f), 10mm (m). Fleshy-brown thorax and legs. Abdomen whitish. Male is slightly smaller than female, and has a narrower abdomen.
HABITAT
Found under stones, logs and other material in gardens and slightly damp habitats. Widespread in Europe except Scandinavia.
FOOD AND HABITS
Found all year round. Feeds on woodlice, which it catches and crushes with its fangs. Nocturnal, spending the day under cover in a silken cell, in which its eggs are laid.
Leopard Spider
Segestria senoculata
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length 7–10mm. Black head, and pale legs and abdomen. Male resembles female, but has a smaller abdomen.
HABITAT
Lives in holes in walls and bark throughout Europe.
FOOD AND HABITS
Adults seen spring–autumn. Hides within holes from which about a dozen silky trip-wires spread out. When prey disturbs the threads, it dashes out of its hole to grab it.
Flower Spider
Misumena vatia
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length to 10mm (f), 5mm (m). Female is white, yellow or greenish with reddish stripes on each side of her abdomen (although these may be absent). Male has dark brown stripes on his abdomen, and two dark brown front pairs of legs.
HABITAT
Flowery areas. Widespread in northern Europe, but more common in southern part of its range.
FOOD AND HABITS
Seen in summer. Sits in white and yellow flowers waiting in ambush for prey. Crab spiders do not spin webs.
Common Crab Spider
Xysticus cristatus
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length 3–8mm. Abdomen has triangular markings; patterns are variable. Female may be almost twice the size of male. Like other crab spiders, it moves with a rather crab-like sideways gait.
HABITAT
Widespread throughout northern Europe in bushes and low plants, and on the ground.
FOOD AND HABITS
Seen spring and summer. Hunts by lying in wait on flowers and pouncing on insect prey. Well camouflaged.
Daddy-long-legs Spider
Pholcus phalangioides
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length 7–10mm. Cylindrical abdomen and very long legs, reaching 40mm in length. Pale yellowish-grey in colour.
HABITAT
Inhabits rooms and cellars in buildings, and also caves, across central and southern Europe.
FOOD AND HABITS
Female seen year round, male only spring–summer. Hangs upside-down from a flimsy web in which it catches flies and other spiders. Prey is trapped by having thread spun over it. When disturbed, the spider vibrates rapidly and spins to confuse predators.
Common Harvestman
Phalangium opilio
Length 5–8mm. Greyish or yellowish with a pure white underside. Legs are very long and thin. Female is slightly larger than male. Found anywhere in Europe that has dense vegetation. Nocturnal feeder on other small invertebrates. Overwinters as an egg and matures in late summer.
Harvestman
Opilio parietinus
Length 5–9mm. A brown or greyish harvestman with darker bands and sometimes a pale stripe down the back. Female may have a saddle-like mark on her back. Underside is off-white with brown spots. Brown legs are long and hair-like. Found on tree trunks, bushes and rough grasses across Europe except far north. Especially common around human habitation. Feeds on small invertebrates. Often seen on walls and fences.
European Harvestman
Leiobunum rotundum
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length to 7mm (f), 4mm (m). Female has an oval pale brown body with an almost rectangular patch on the back. Male has a rusty-brown circular body with a black eye-turret on the back. Legs are long and very thin. Length of second leg can reach 5cm. Female is almost twice as large as male. One of 23 British harvestman species.
HABITAT
Dense vegetation throughout most of Europe except far north and far south.
FOOD AND HABITS
Feeds on small invertebrates. Often seen resting by day on walls and tree trunks. Harvestmen differ from spiders in lacking poison glands, being unable to produce silk and having a single button-like body.
Harvestman
Nemastoma bimaculatum
SIZE AND DESCRIPTION
Length 2.5mm. A harvestman that has a small and rotund body with relatively short legs compared with other harvestman species. Mainly black in colour with two white to pale yellow patches behind the head.
HABITAT
Moss and vegetable debris in shaded habitats such as woods and hedgerows. Occurs in most of Europe.
FOOD AND HABITS
Found throughout the year. Predates on small creatures that it can overpower.