Spiders found in garden to ID please

[Andestine]

Originally Posted by No.9 Spider

The spider in the first photo could possibly be a Theridion species,

The spider in the first photo could possibly be a Theridion species
I looked those up. It’s an interesting species. I like the (non-British) ‘Happy Face Spider’ (Theridion grallator), and the Mothercare spider (Theridion sisyphium) I’ll see which members of that species are most prevalent in my garden.

but a good indicator are the translucent looking legs, which can also indicate a recent moult has taken place. The legs will darken as they 'harden' again.

I didn't know that spiders moulted It explains a lot about the old dried 'dead' spiders I've seem over the years It's always good to learn something new.

But that reminds me of a recent conversation I had with a South African scientist friend. I’d sent him a photo I'd taken of a Crab spider (Misumena vatia) from our Hebe bush, and this is part of his response:

The male goes hunting females that are still soft from
their final moult. They then fasten them down with silk, mate and go
away, leaving them to struggle out as best they might.

This made me smile as in our waters we have the Velvet swimming crab (Necora puber) whose mating rituals are quite similar (without all that sticky silk, of course <g>). As mating can only occur when the female’s shell is soft, the male protects her until her shell hardens. I’ve often seen this happening under rocks at very low tides. He guards her quite fiercely and it's best not to get too close

I’m thinking that it must just be an amusing coincidence. After all, Cum hoc, ergo propter hoc, and all that <g> But I had no idea that some spiders did the same thing.

A copy of one of the books you recommended arrived yesterday (The Spider, by John Crompton) and I took it to bed to read. I wish I hadn’t – it was utterly fascinating and kept me awake far too long. I love the way he writes. Thank you again for that one

Cheers,

Andestine

[Andestine]

Originally Posted by col188

I'm fed up with not knowing common uk Spider ids + I find them fascinating
As my garden and home seem to be full of em, I too have ordered the Collins Book by Michael Roberts.

Hello Col

I'm fed up with not knowing common uk Spider ids + I find them fascinating As my garden and home seem to be full of em, I too have ordered the Collins Book by Michael Roberts.

I hope you get yours faster than me. The books I ordered days ago haven’t even been dispatched. I ordered The Spider, by John Crompton privately though and if you haven’t read it I recommend it. It’s an excellent starter book for the already fascinated

And I think that the Spi-pot that Meta menardi recommended is great for people like you and me who prefer to catch them on film rather than in actuality

Cheers,

Andestine

[Venger]

Originally Posted by Andestine

(The name 'Venger' sounds familiar. Isn’t he the one I see haunting the corridors of this site in the dead of night? I didn’t expect to see anyone else here so many hours before the sun rises )

Yup, that's me - I think I'm nocturnal

I'm not on as much as I'd like - but there's plenty others picking up the slack so I'm not so worried.
I just post when something catches my eye.

[Andestine]

Good to see you emerge from the shadows!

I love this time of night. I'm a solitary in real life, but love the company of friends around the world via email. (Just chatting with Dave on Noctuids, having discovered a mutual love of Irish music )

I'll be back here with more spider questions soon. Carl recommended Crompton's 'The Spider' and I've been reading it every night in bed. It's brilliant, and raises even more quiestions in my mind about the lovely beasties. Crompton's such a character too

Hope to see you round again soon.

Cheers,

Andestine

P.S. You don't draw or paint do you?