Is this Neriene clathrata in my kitchen

[Geoff F]

I have been cleaning out and painting my cupboards etc which has temporarily displaced a few spiders; but today I found this one sitting on the architrave outside my larder door, about 1 ft from the ground. It was hanging by a thread then started doing a lot of leg twisting before finally settling down and refusing to move. But it will probably find somewhere else when I turn the lights out tonight.

Approx 6 mm, S. Devon.



I am thinking possibly Neriene clathrata because although the legs do show some faint annulated marks it doesn't (I think) look strong enough for Neriene montana or Lepthyantes minutus. And the dark carapace without a 'tuning fork' mark rules out Lepthyantes nebulosus, which otherwise would have been my first choice. There does appear to be darker 'W' shaped marking on the abdomen.

But it is indoors during late January which makes me wonder if I have overlooked a much simpler answer.

Any suggestions?

[frits_b]

I'd certainly think in the same direction, although 6mm is quite large for the species (my books say max 5mm).

Despite this, I'd go for N. clathrata too, everything else seems to match (but I'm no Linyphiid expert I must say).

[Geoff F]

Thanks for that. My book (Roberts) gives females to 7.5 mm so that does sound possible. And as I thought would happen, overnight it moved off to find a more suitable home; but probably still somewhere in the kitchen.

Linyphiidae are certainly a tricky family. Every spring I find quite a few of one species in a small wood and every one has a slightly different abdomen pattern. Eventually I have decided that they are probably Neriene peltata but I'm not totally certain.