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Thanks for having a look, I can't believe I put sap instead of Sac lol, sorry about that, the information was really useful though, thank you :)

Dear Claire

Your new posted pictures can't be identified to species I'm afraid. Your sap (Sac) spider is a juvenile Clubiona. There are many species, all pretty similar and adults under a microscope are needed for all but one or two species. Your Unknown spider 1 is again a baby, after lightening the image it looks as though it might possibly be the jumping spider Pseuduophrys lanigera, but by no means a definite id. The Unknown spider 2 is a juvenile Pardosa wolf spider. Again identification of almost all of these requires adults under a microscope.

Thank you for all the responses apologies for my delay in responding...

For Peter

The post code is EX6 8FD and the date was Thursday 20th November, I will remember to include that in the post in future :)

For Peter and Evan

My place of work is in a rural surrounding with fields and some wastelands, open habitats etc which is one of the reasons I believed it could be Tegenaria agrestis... The out building where I find is right next to hedges and fields with no real human movement.

There was some iridescence on the jaws of the spider in the hole but not vivid green... There was at least twelve or so radiating threads, I would say 18 or so threads maybe, I was using the camera on my phone, but it refused to focus on the spider I tried many different settings as it usually pretty good for photographing spiders and other nature but on that evening it would only focus on the brickwork...

Amazing pictures Evan, they are lovely!!

Thank you again! :)

The ayes have it!

The usual problem of trying to make definitive identifications from photographs. I am not at all sure 6 legs forward can be described as a give away for Segestria. Surely this is the natural appearance of almost any spider with a tubular retreat that waits at the entrance of the retreat.

I was waiting for comment from Claire about iridescence on the jaws (certainly depends on the lighting) and the radiating threads of Segestria species. Without these, I do not believe any reliable identification can be made.

Claire's tube spider is in a hole with what looks at first like Amaurobius webbing but is an animal with the give-away six legs forward of a Segestria. It looks like an S. florentina to me at least it makes me as nervous as I feel when trying to lure one out by spider tickling. Has Claire been moving spiders around to confuse! On second thoughts it could be in it's own web that has just been messed about a bit! They do not always have obviously green jaws. I know because I have often tried to find photogenic ones and have been disappointed!

Re: Orb Weaver Identification. Yes, the orb web spider is Araneus diadematus, the garden spider.

With the other 2, one is a Tegenaria species, but which species requires examination under a microscope. It will not be Tegenaria agrestis, which in this country occurs outdoors in open habitats under stones and similar, not indoors or in gardens.

The other one might be an Amaurobius species, but it is not possible to be sure from your photograph. Segestria species make a tubular retreat with a web that has a dozen or so radiating threads with proceed from the mouth of the retreat. Segestria florentina has iridescent green jaws, which do not appear to be present in your photo.

Pleae note that if you expect help, you should provide a full postcode or Ordnance Survey grid reference and date of the record as requested.

Hi

I recently found these two spiders.

One is I believe a Tube web spider (Segestria florentina) and the other a "Yard Spider" (Tegenaria agrestis) although I am not 100% on either, would anyone be able to confirm or let me know the right species please?

Many thanks

Claire :)

Hi

I found this almost waddling along a pathway at work, looks a little like a cross orb weaver (Araneus diadematus) but abdomen was completely out of proportion almost bloated to the usual sightings I have found.

Does anyone know what species this actually is?

Thank you

Claire

Thanks for your comments Peter.  I rather guessed it would be a case of occasonal ad hoc records, which as you say are of rather limited value in any case.

regards Dave

Yes, this looks like Steatoda paykulliana (male). It is periodically imported with grapes and similar from the Mediterranean. There has been no formalised system for recording these, and the BAS/SRS only occasionally gets to hear about these imports anyway, and even more rarely gets to see any evidence to verify them (e.g. once in a blue moon black widow Latrodectus imports are reported, but I know of none which have actually been verified by an arachnologist). My personal feeling is that there is little point in recording something which has simply literally been carried in with produce, unless there is any evidence that a species becomes established, either indoors or outdoors. Otherwise we would start recording anything anyone carried into the country, either accidentally or deliberately, from anywhere in the world.

There is anyway no way of knowing if this is the first time the spider has been imported into Cumbria. Presumably there is a fairly equal chance of its importation into any part of the country, and the event is more likely to be related to the location of supermarkets or distribution centres etc as anything else.

Here are the photos

Hi The spider in the attached photos was this week taken into Tullie House Museum, Carlisle by Cumbria Environmental Health.  Having been reported emerging from a recently purchased bunch of grapes at a house nearby.  I'm assuming this is a male S. paykulliana?  If so, does anyone know how commonly it is imported and whether anyone keeps records of it's occurrence? (I was asked whether it had turned up in Cumbria before)

Best wishes

Dave

This is interesting. No, there are no further records for Cryptachaea blattea since the first one from the Isle of Wight. Perhaps you would be able to write an article for the SRS News (Spring issue now, the Autumn issue is complete waiting publication) on your discovery.

When I manage to find the time to get the information ready for MapMate Ltd to update the spider taxon library for this software, it will be possible to add records for this species and for these to be mapped on this website. If you provide me with the full details of your record, I can manually do this for this species straight away. However you will note that the checklist update to MapMate will be in accordance with the latest British checklist (Arachnology 16 (4) Spring 2014), where for example your Parasteatoda simulans remains in Achaearanea. In the checklist the reasons for this decision is explained. In Britain we should be following the British checklist until such time as it is again updated.

Hi Peter,

Apologies about the low quality of the micrograbs, but here's a couple of theridiidae from Plymouth that might be of interest to forum members.

Found on the underside of a bit of blue plastic debris in a damp and shaded deciduous woodland with little understory in Plymouth. Male and female together in a negligible tangle web. Area is a nature reserve but adjoining a housing estate with much litter and signs of fly-tipping.

Jizz was acharaneae like, being quite small I was thinking it might be parasteatoda simulans, but it had a small tubercle on the back of the rounded, high abdomen in both sexes. Genitalia was simple and didn't match any of the illustrations in Roberts, but did match those in the BAS article 123 from 2012 - Cryptachea blattea. A vagrant from NZ, thought to be imported with plant material.

Marriott D (2012) Cryptachaea blattea (Urquhart, 1886) a theridiid new to Great Britain. Newsl Br Arachnol Soc 123: 9-10

Have their been any records between 2012 and these two specimens Peter?

One to watch out for perhaps?

Regards. Matt

Many thanks, CA8 9BW gives me NY484554

Sorry, I was trying to be specific but clearly wrong location. When I put postcode in it still comes up with NY484445 along with the postcode? Suggest you use CA8 9BW for location.  Alf

Yes, looks good for Opilio canestrinii. Thanks for grid reference and date. Are you sure about grid reference though, seems to place it in a field? see NY484445

I found this in my garden back in August this year and am only now sorting out IDs. I believe it to be Opilio canestrinii which appears not to be recorded very often. If someone can confirm please add to the record. Image taken 18 Aug 2014, location NY484445.

Neither spider is identifiable from your photos, but the larger one could be one of the house spider Tegenaria species. It needs a close up sharper photograph to see more, but Tegenaria spiders need microscopical examination of adults to identify to species anyway.

Hi, I've been watching this spider living in the corner of my kitchen for a few weeks now. This morning I awoke to find this huge house spider (?) caught in her web. I think she's a sheet web spider of some type, about 1cm. Found at E177bs on 4/11/14

Is this a rare occurrence or do these small spiders catch such large prey often? She seems to have wrapped the house spider's front legs together to trap him.

Looks like the orb web spider Nuctenea umbratica, a widespread spider found in crevices and under bark in gardens, on fences, woodlands etc. As noted in the forum introduction above the posts, please provide a full postcode or Ordnance Survey grid reference and date of the record so that it can be added to the recording scheme.

Hi, can anyone help in identifying this spider which I found when I was dismantling my trampoline yesterday in the garden. It was underneath some plastic covering and was very lethargic with its legs pointing forward in front of it. When I poked it, (sorry thought it was dead) its legs flicked out horizontally like it was having a stretch!

ADDED - Postcode CV13 0HW Sorry if its really common, but I'm just interested.

Thanks, Jo