Notes on Erigone longipalpis

From The Newsletter No. 9 April 1974

Being rather puzzled by a female Linyphiid, I sent it off to Mr. David Mackie. He identified it as Erigone longipalpis (female) in spite of the presence of trichobothria on the metatarsi on each of the fourth legs and enclosed two specimens of E. longipalpis which he had taken himself. Later,Mr. Mackie drew my attention to a short note by J .H. Murgatroyd (to which his attention had been drawn by Dr. Thaler when he visited him in Innsbruck!). Mr. Murgatroyd recounts how he was sent 5 females from Budleigh Salterton, Devon of which 4 had trichobothria on metatarsi 4. My husband and I looked back through our specimens of E. longipalpis and the results, together with those of Mr. Mackie which are the first two, are as follows:
Male Burton Point, Cheshire 1.9.55 TmIV one leg
Female Colne Point, Essex 5.9.58 TmIV both legs
Female Flatford, Essex 15.9.70 TmIV both legs
Female Flatford, Essex 15.9.70 TmIV neither leg
Male Flatford, Essex 15.9.70 TmIV both legs
Female R. Deben, Essex 16.9.70 TmIV neither leg
Male Bradwell, Essex 17.9.70 TmIV one leg
Female Bradwell, Essex 13.5.71 TmIV both legs
Male St. Cyrus, Kincardine 26.7.71 TmIV neither leg

Experienced arachnologists mostly recognise the epigyne or palp of the spider at a glance and probably never notice the anomalous trichobothrium but it can be confusing.

Possibly other members have come across similar anomalies?

Reference
Murgatroyd,. J.H. 1954 Ent. Mon. Mag» 90:231 Anomolous Specimens of Erigone longipalpis (Sund) (Aranea, Linyphiidae)
 
Added by John Partridge at 11:24 on Tue 3rd Jan 2012. Return to Summary for Erigone longipalpis