Wasp Spiders - have you seen one?

[clicka15]

Hello.

I have been informally watching the distribution of these incredible beasties for the last five years in my local area on the Sussex coast. They have been spreading and I am confident that on my local bit of the South Downs between Beddingham/Itford and Alfriston/Seaford their numbers are in the thousands.

So what I would like to know is: which of you in other parts of the country have seen Wasp Spiders? They are found along the South Coast, into Essex and even East Anglia, as well as a few sporadic places north of London.

Here's a photograph of Argiope breunnichi I took yesterday (13th August) - if you look closely you can see it has a leg missing:



Best wishes,
Steve.

[Gill Catton]

Last year, Sittingbourne, Staines and Southend, this year so far Felixstowe.

[Venger]

There is a thread about this in general wildlife, just in case you haven't seen it:

Wasp Spiders