Pseudeuophrys lanigera?

[The Black Rabbit]

I think this may well be Pseudeuophrys lanigera.
Photographed this morning on our hall ceiling (in the dark - excuse the somewhat harsh flash).



Body length no more than 4mm, with a sort of "skull" mark on its abdomen.

If this IS the spider I think it is, any good websites (hur hur) that can tell me more about her?
How common is she? Is there a common name for this species etc...

Many thanks for any help in advance.

Cheers.
Doug

[Venger]

Do you have a top down shot for this one Doug?

[The Black Rabbit]

Originally Posted by Venger

Do you have a top down shot for this one Doug?

Yeah I do Venger but not at the moment.
I might be able to download a side on shot in 15 minutes....
Would a side on help?


Doug

[The Black Rabbit]

Well... heres a side on anyway (not great quality I'm afraid).



I assume this is a female Pseudeuophrys lanigera (fore legs not dark), but would very much like a second (more knowledgeable) opinion.

Like I said (although the photo is at home at present), I do have a top down shot - looks like a scull on the back to my weird imagination - a very wobbly, faded skull.

Length no more than 4mm (excluding legs).

I'll try to upload the top down shot tomorrow if needed....

Thanks

Doug

[Venger]

Well it certainly looks like one - though I'll wait for the top down shot.
Funny really, for a synanthropic species I only ran into one last year!

[hoobs]

Drop it in some alcohol and key it out. There will be others where this one come from. Photography often leaves you with an uncertain determination of species and a dodgy record, unless there are some obvious critical features that can be seen by eye. There's little argument if you keep the voucher specimen. A decent microscope doesn't cost too much these days. The alcohol makes the hairs on the specimen almost invisible, so you can see the features used in the keys. Make as many observations you can on the living specimen, such as the web it builds if any. If it jumps around you've narrowed it down straightaway. Until someone writes a living key, photography gets you only so far. The blue-tits eat them by the dozen so retaining the specimen has no ecological impact. Remember, they don't have to be that big to have a nasty bite.

[Venger]

Yes but then you have to store it - and if I started collecting every spider I came across I'd have no space.
I quite like to see them alive to be honest - sure, it makes iding them to species level almost impossible for the most part, but then I'm not writing a thesis or doing any scientific study or collecting them.

[hoobs]

I must admit maintaining a collection of insects or other invertebrates is a pain. If you can key it down satisfactorily with photography, why not. However, if you think you have an unusual record confirmation is worthwhile. I, from time to time, mis-identify things based on the external appearance alone. Fortunately I live not too far from an expert, and if he can't identify a specimen, he usually knows a man who can. I found a plume moth that appeared to be a new record for Britain, but it turned out to be a variant of something relatively common. The main thing is to enjoy what you're doing and I'm sure you'll find some goodies that are relatively easy to confirm from photography. I do the same.....it's fun.