Notes on Oedothorax apicatus

From The Newsletter No. 59 November I990

On the unseasonably warm and calm afternoon of 17th March 1990, we were walking along a path which runs by a small stream at the edge of a field of short grass at Garth Trevor, Clwyd (Nat. Grid Ref. SJ 262431; Vice-County 50). At intervals along the stream bank were five separate tents of webbing slung on old seed heads of various tall weeds. Each tent contained many linyphiid spiders which repeatedly climbed to the highest point, then dropped on threads. We collected a dozen at random from the largest aggregation, which must have contained about a hundred spiders. All twelve were identified as adult females of Oedothorax apicatus by Christopher Felton of Liverpool Museum.

The reason for this behaviour was not apparent to us: perhaps the spiders were attempting to 'balloon'.
 
Added by John Partridge at 10:22 on Thu 9th Feb 2012. Return to Summary for Oedothorax apicatus