Spider Identification Please

[kevinfury]

Whilst in my garden shed at the weekend I was hit on the shoulder by a falling spider. Unfortunately It disappeared by the time I went to the house and retrieved my camera.

I haven't seen anything like this spider before, it was totally black, around 8-10mm in length and I noticed it had a raised pattern (bumps) on it's abdomen. Although the spider was quite small it looked quite dense for it's size and a little threatening although when I touched the spider it looked to freeze instead of running off.

I know it's almost impossible to tell without a photo (and difficult even with one) but any suggestions would be appreciated and would help me narrow it down at least.

[htcdude]

Maybe it was a darker variation of the Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus)? Or perhaps a House Spider (Tegenaria domestica) that had decided it preferred your shed?

Nige

[Acutipuerilis]

Could be a Steatoda sp., but you should try this in the spider sub-forum as that's where all the experts have their webs...