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Is it possible to identify this Opilione, please? Found in garden woodpile in Cambridge TL462583 on 28 April. Head/body about 3mm long.

Dear Robert, As Peter Harvey remarked on the previous posting, these species of Eratigena can only reliably be told apart by microscopical examination. However, because in southern England E. duellica is the predominant species east of Dorset, and E. saeva the predominant species west of Dorset (see BAS factsheet at: https://britishspiders.org.uk/sites/default/files/2020-08/House_spider_preview_rev18.pdf) it is highly likely that your specimen is E. duellica.  Geoff

Hi, I found this spider on top of my fence having uncovered my wood store at the weekend. Google Lens thought it was Eratigena duellica, a giant house spider. Our garden is at No7 at 50.9245714, 0.0179094 or TQ 41916 15843 Please can you confirm or identify. Thank you, Robert

This is one of the larger house spiders Tegenaria / Eratigena species. They can't be identified to species without examination under a microscope, but they are harmless and occur in or near most buildings in the country.

Spotted this on one of our parasols yesterday and was curious to know if it was anything unusual?

The markings on the back are lovely and it is just over an inch in size.

We are in Northern Ireland 😁. Many thanks in advance!!

I would say most likely an immature P cespitum, form with pale coloured dorsal abdomen, but all aureolus group can only be done with microscopical examination of adults, and even then may be misidentified by recorders unfamiliar with the complexity of the issues involved (note difficult species guidance).

Dear Giles, confirmation of most Philodromus species requires microscopic examination. However it is very unlikely to be P. rufus, which is only reported from the London region and the Thames corridor. Geoff

Hello - I was going through some old photos and found this which I'd never gotten round to identifying. The photo was taken on 20th April 2019 at my home in Coventry, UK.

BSIG Facebook group suggests it is Philodromus albidus/rufus. Can anyone confirm?

Thanks for confirming species, Peter. I've edited date thanks to you spotting my earlier typo. I'll have a go at adding this spider to the recording scheme. Martin

Yes Mangora acalypha, I presume you mean 9 June 2020, we haven't quite got to June 2021 yet!

I would appreciate help identifying this yellow-striped spider photographed in my garden (Ipswich, TM166450) on 9 June 2020. A member of a Facebook spider group suggested that it may be Mangora acalypha and there are some similar-looking photos of that species on the eurospiders web site. Martin Cooper

Figures of Megalepthyphantyes nebulosus are available in Roberts and there are figures of M. collinus, which is very similar to our taxon, available on the Spiders of Europe website  and if you email me at I can send you drawings of the palp and epigyne drawn by our national expert Peter Merrett. Figures on the internet and in publications are always done of spiders in 70% alcohol, and can look very different in air due to the 3-dimensional nature of the structures and refractive indices of air and alcohol. If you are a beginner at identication of spiders and Linyphiidae, you would need to get confirmation from an experienced specialist, and membership of the British Arachnological Society is to be strongly recommended.

Thank you Peter, If I manage to capture an adult what am I looking for? there seems to be zero info in helping to ID it on the web.

Thank you for your ID thoughts .

A linyphiid, possibly Megalepthypantes species near collinus, which I found new to Britain in 1999 at the bottom of undercliffs on the Isle of Sheppey, but which has subequently spread widely in the south-east and in recent years much further afield to the southwest and northwards. It requires microscopical examination of adults for identification.

This was found under the eaves of our summer house in Cambridge last night, and I am struggling to identify it. I was thinking Liocranum rupicola but I am not convinced. NGR TL471569

Clubiona species, probably reclusa but you can't do all but one or two Clubiona without microscopical examination of the adult male palp or female epigyne.

The Araniella is very unlikely to be displicata, juvenile and subadult Araniella are frequently reddish in coloration. It would need to be reared through to maturity and examined under a microscope.

I spotted this species on Heathland at Black Park nature reserve in Iver ,Bucks on March 30th .It was on Heather and there were some conifers above .At about 6-8mm , I wondered if it might be --Araniella displicata ? Otherwise i am a bit stumped.Could someone help me out please.

Is it possible to identify this species from this image ? I thought it might be Clubiona lutescens .This was in my garden in Ruislip on March 23rd 2021 .