can someone tell me what this spider is

[mikeytommo]

location is south wales,
was cleaning out the shed, many years over due when i found two of these spiders, one was a deep shase of purple, the other was bronze, both very metallic looking. both about the size of a 50p including the legs. i snapped a few shots.
i aint seen anything like them before around here

[wilippa]

I am no expert. But my guess (!) is Steatoda Bipunctata - the Rabbit hutch Spider. Could be badly wrong though. Wait for the real experts and you may get a more informed response.

[MattPrince]

Female Steatoda bipunctata (Linnaeus, 1758)

I think, though I've not encountered one yet.

Cheers,
Matt

[MattPrince]

Whoops crossed posts with wilippa. Like what she said

[wilippa]

Originally Posted by MattPrince

Female Steatoda bipunctata (Linnaeus, 1758)

I think, though I've not encountered one yet.

Cheers,
Matt

Ditto, Matt. I have no first hand experience with the species but was going on the basis of photos I have seen here on WAB

[mikeytommo]

wow thanks for the quick replies guys,
they just look so out of place compared to anything else you find around here, and it freaked me out a bit that they were the same but different awsome colours lol

[MattPrince]

The females are known to be more metallic than the males, the deep punctures (two of which are more prominent than the others) gives rise to the latin name 'bipunctata'.

Its one of several species from this family that are often found in or near human habitation - aka "the false widows" - I'd forgotten that this one has been given its own English name because of its particular niche preference for outer buildings (including rabbit hutches)!

Cheers,
Matt

[mikeytommo]

i hadnt noticed the punctures before kinda seals the deal i think

[wilippa]

Originally Posted by mikeytommo

wow thanks for the quick replies guys,
they just look so out of place compared to anything else you find around here, and it freaked me out a bit that they were the same but different awsome colours lol

Glad to be of assistance. I've found with spiders that the more you look, the more (and varied!) you tend to find. And colour variations within a species are quite common. Look at Araneus Diadematus - the Garden or Cross Spider -they come in colours ranging from pale grey through orange, red and brown to almost black!

[faz]

hi welcome to WAB
Steatoda bipunctata is one of the spiders commonly known as a false widow spider. It's also sometimes referred to as the Rabbit Hutch Spiders as they're often found inside rabbit hutches. They're usually chestnut coloured, although some specimens can be lighter in colour. Frequently there is a line of tiny cream coloured dots running around the midline of the abdomen.

The web consists of a mish-mash of short, irregularly placed silk strands.

When viewed from underneath this species has an unusual marking which looks like the 'Alpha' of the Greek alphabet.