Lycosidae - Pardosa amentata?

JRsbugs · #1 (**permalink**) 21-03-2010, 01:05 AM

Hi,

I labelled this as something else in the image library, I now think it looks like Pardosa amentata.

I looked through my other spider pics and have a few pics which look the same species, mainly on my south wall but this was in a rotted log on 19th March.

Am I anywhere close?

Janet

frits_b · #2 (**permalink**) 21-03-2010, 09:08 AM

I agree it looks like a P. amentata. However, I wouldn't rule out P. hortensis; those looks exactly like amentata (at least according to my books).

I guess you could call this spider a Pardosa cf. amentata ('looks like').

JRsbugs · #3 (**permalink**) 21-03-2010, 01:37 PM

Thanks frits!

I looked up Pardosa.hortensis, it is a scarce one here, but I might have it too. I will check out my other pics, some of these did look darker.

This is a record chart for Cornwall which is far from me, but the notes give the clue. Steve Hopkin died in a car crash in 2006.

Pardosa hortensis in Cornwall

Geoff F · #4 (**permalink**) 21-03-2010, 08:08 PM

Well, Janet, I would say possibly P. amentata/hortensis.

The trouble with Pardosa species is that they are so variable in colouration that it is often impossible to confirm an identity.

The legs, beyond the femora, do appear to be rather lacking in darker spotting/annulation so I wouldn't totally rule out P. monticola.

But either way, I think this is probably as close as you are likely to get.

Incidentally, I did see what looked a bit like P. amentata running down my garden path this morning. It hid underneath a piece of wood but, of course, by the time I fetch the camera it was gone.