Unidentified spider

[nickster]

Hi All,

Can anybody tell me what the heck this is please

I found it in my house in Chester yesterday. It's about 18mm from fangs to backside. It did a weird thing when I blew on it (to make it stand still so I could snap it) - it lifted all of its legs up in the air and rested on its body! Quite diffiult to photo as it insisted on either walking or putting ilts legs up and spinning!



Many thanks

Nick

[Jason Green]

Hi Nick,

It's a Amaurobis sp.

Interesting behaviour, too.

[Geoff F]

Nick; how sure are you about the length. Amaurobius similis females are upto around 12 mm and can be found in houses. The colouration is possibly a bit suspect for this species but all spiders do vary considerably so this isn't a reliable ID on its own.

The only larger alternative which I can think of is Tegenaria duellica, upto 16mm for a female and is also found in houses. But, to me, the legs of your spider look a bit short.

So, I would go along with Jason's suggestion if you can resize the overall length a bit downwards.

[No.9 Spider]

Amaurobius ferox female. A good record this for this far north, though they are under-recorded.
Do you still have the specimen and any web in the area it was found?




No.9 Spider

[naturegirl]

This sounds remarkedly like a spider that I found in my bath a few years back.

A knowledgeable friend remarked that it is usually found in dry stone walling and is very aggressive.........

I now know this to be the 'Tube Web' spider which is an indiginous and aggressive spider which can inflict a very painful bite if disturbed.

Naturegirl

[nickster]

Geoff/ Jason,

Thanks for the suggestions. It was definitely larger than 15mm and was similar but definitely different to A. simils and A. fenestralis specimens I had IDs on last year. It looked big enough to be Tegenaria but nothing like it? Hence my confusion!

Naturegirl, I WISH! I've not seen one of those but would love to find one and am awaiting a trip to Cornwall to go hunting for them in the summer It didn't have the purple/black tinge I've read that they have and it definitely wasn't aggressive. I prodded and pocked it so that my 2 year old could get a good look when I turned it out on the utility floor to let it go!

No. 9, I kept it for a couple of days but have since let it go. I found it walking across the middle of our library floor with no obvious web anywhere to be seen. Since your suggestion I’ve looked up images of A Ferox and it would seem to be a good match. I’m going to chalk it up as Ferox in my (rather sad) spider log I'm surprised to hear they are under-recorded - it's quite excting to find something as large as Tegenaria that isn't Tegenaria...

Thank you all very much!

Nick

[Jason Green]

You have a 'rather sad' spider log? Me too! I must be equally sad then as I log most invertebrates in my neck of the woods; totalling about 320+ at the moment...

How many types, Nick?

[No.9 Spider]

Originally Posted by nickster

No. 9, I kept it for a couple of days but have since let it go. I found it walking across the middle of our library floor with no obvious web anywhere to be seen. Since your suggestion I’ve looked up images of A Ferox and it would seem to be a good match. I’m going to chalk it up as Ferox in my (rather sad) spider log I'm surprised to hear they are under-recorded - it's quite excting to find something as large as Tegenaria that isn't Tegenaria...

Thank you all very much!

Nick

Hi Nick, you'll not find any web in your house for this species as it's mainly an outdoors type (cellars occasionally) and probably travelled in on something. They are usually found in gardens, outhouses, rubble heaps, under logs, stones and hedgerows. I've found plenty in the south, mainly on grassy banks. Logs and under stones favourite for northern ones apparently.
Under recording of species is usually down to the rarity of active collectors in the field for certain areas rather than lack of species.


No.9 Spider

[Jason Green]

I agree RE your last point No. 9, I often think it'd be interesting to start recording all species in an area with no active loggers...

[nickster]

That's something of a relief! My wife thinks I’ve gone mad but tolerates it as it's better than me logging other women

320+ is most impressive! I just started at the end of autumn (bad timing) and I'm only logging spiders. It's rather weak at the moment with 3 different amaurobius, non-specific tegenaria, pholcus phalangioides, araneus diadematus, clubiona corticalis and herpyllus blackwalli.

I also have a few others that I haven't uploaded for ID yet. However, I didn't record their size when I photographed them and have since forgotten the measurements so haven't posted them! Also, I took one of them when I was drunk so the photo’s are… well, xexexexe to say the least!

I'm particularly hoping to log segestria florentina, stetoda nobilis and crocata dysdera this year. Yes, I have a particular penchant for spiders that are inclined to bite the unlucky and the unwary! Roll on spring...