whats this spider?

[hellsbells]

Hi all,

I'm glad to see these beautiful beasties are being spotted.

I was over the lottie today and thought I would check on the one I photo'd the other week and it was still there. Then low and behold using my action man eagle eyes! I found another 10 on mine and a couple on another plot. I left them with a good dinner as my plundering around caused grasshoppers to jump straight into their waiting arms!

I did notice somthing weird (to me anyway) but it looked like all their webs were suspended over identical gaps in the grass. Would spiders clear an area of vegetation? or bend the grass in some way? They are all about 8-10 inches above the ground and the grass below and around the web definately looked cleared.

Anyway off the cover my legs in antisan cream
tc x

[Dan Salter]

Good hunting ! I cant answer the ground clearing question but i have found out something more...In a lot of the pics in this thread you will notice a zig zag type pattern in a line through the web...i have just read in my local wildlife trust magazine about wasp spiders that this is "More typical of tropical spiders where its thought to deter birds flying through the web"..
Obviously this doesnt work for our local hoppers though?

[hellsbells]

Hi Dan,

Funny thing that, the original one I photo'd didn't have a zigzag then but it did today. Several of the others had them but not all. As for size (wild woman) all roughly the same, about the length of a AA battery (got loads about due to wireless mouse and remote controls!).

[Wild-Woman]

That zig zag is apparently called a 'stabilimentum'. If you want to read more about the wasp spider have a looks at www.nickspiders.com it's on his leading page at the moment. julie

[Gwenhwyfar]

Im wondering if its a pregnant female? ( when do they breed?)...and the other spider we saw was the male?

I have read some where before that when she is loaded with eggs she can become enormous, and yours certainly is.

[aeshna5]

ollyk- the house spider you refer to is the Daddy Long Legs Spider, Pholcus phalangoides, + certainly they rapidly vibrate when they feel threatened. As they are mainly commensals with man, they are known as synanthropes, though I believe from an article in British Wildlife a few have been found outdoors.

I have several in my house + despite their feeble appearance they are voracious predators + twice I've seen them take centipedes emerging from pots in kitchen + even the large spider, Tegenaria. When hoovering I try to avoid sucking up my guests!

[J Deane]

Just Logged in thinking it may take a while to find out about the couloured spider on my patio door. These things look fantastic. Thanks guys for the info & cool pictures too!

As ever
JD

[tumpylamb]

hi all
i have one of these spiders in my boatyard in erith,also spotted a funnel web in camberwell!!
the non poisonus one mainly found in kent

[Wild-Woman]

The ones in Kent are usually the Tube Web spider-Segestria florentina. Had my one confirmed at the Natural History Museum. Impressive aren't they!! Julie

Oh and welcome to WAB tumpylamb

[Jonno]

Hi

Stumbled across this site by looking for info on spiders...and just thought I would confirm the sizes of some of these wasp spiders that I have seen in a variety of saltmarsh locations in the south east whilst doing ecological research....and they are BIG!

15mm is a gross underestimate. This summer I have seen many specimens whose body length I would estimate to be in the region of 3 to 3.5cm (maybe slightly larger) and body width of approx 2cm. These aren't over-exaggerations...I had never seen the species before in such abundance so was very interested in them when I saw them due to their size and colour, and the saltmarsh locations certainly provide a vast amount of food for them to get very large.

I have also seen some very big tube web spiders recently, and was wondering if anyone actually knew what the largest species of spider in Britain is?

Jon