Spider Wish List

[MattPrince]

Just thinking ahead to what I'd like to see on the spider front this year, don't get me wrong, any spider identification is a reward, and who knows what little gem will actually dazzle me during the year, but having done my time as a twitcher there is still a bit of the 'big rare' mentality, and there are some spiders that I'd happily put some effort and travel in to see, and others which just arouse my interest because I've read about them, or even seen them on WAB.

1. Ladybird spider - Eresus Cinnaberinus - surely the poster pin-up of the spider world, hopefully Joe Public, like myself, will be able to see these at one of their introduction sites soon.

2. Fen Spider - D. Plantarius - The "standard" raft spider D, Fimbriatus is one of the most impressive spiders I've seen in the UK, so I'd be interested in seeing its rarer cousin. I wonder if open days exist for this one ~ considering its very similar to its close relation and its illegal to handle one without license (rightly so as it is with the ladybird spider).

3. Water Spider - Argyroneta aquatica - hopefully just a question of putting some time in pond-dipping.

4. Fencepost Jumper - marpissa muscosa - seen this one on here (WAB) and it looks like a stunner, love the jumping spiders, sadly this one doesn't seem very common down in the South West.

5. The other cave spider - meta bournetti - this one intrigues me - very similar to m. minardi, but perhaps with subtle habitat differences, several colonies have been found in dark hollow old trees.

Well that's just a few of the spiders I'd like to see this year, what about you?

Now I really must get on with the chores

Cheers,
Matt

[aeshna5]

I have seen Ladybird Spiders in Kazakhstan + they are stunners. I'm assuming it is the same species, if not a sibling species, in the same genus. Certainly many UK species of invertebrate are found there plus lots of different ones.

[No.9 Spider]

Meta bournetti is one on my wish list. It's is the one that got away in some ways as I had a trip to Puffin Island, off Anglesey on the North Wales coast in 1995 where it had allegedly been recorded many years ago.
Unfortunately I never found it, but was fortunate enough to find the Nationally scarce (Notable A) Segestria bavarica so some consolation .
I'm sure I'll think of others, but have been fortunate to record some rare species and new records for some areas over the years.

[nikolai_avenger]

Oh, mate. Good question, but where to start.

Mainly the following, based on the fact I now have a halfway decent camera (with macro attachment) and I am champing at the bit for photographing spiders this year:

1) Pisaura mirabilis... So far I've only had brief glimpses on a couple of occasions but I know they are to be found on my local patches.

2) Amaurobius ferox, which I have found in my garden.

3) Any salticid whatsoever.

4) Anything, really, that turns up in my local patches/garden.

Cheers. Nik.

[MattPrince]

Originally Posted by No.9 Spider

Meta bournetti is one on my wish list. It's is the one that got away in some ways as I had a trip to Puffin Island, off Anglesey on the North Wales coast in 1995 where it had allegedly been recorded many years ago.
Unfortunately I never found it, but was fortunate enough to find the Nationally scarce (Notable A) Segestria bavarica so some consolation .
I'm sure I'll think of others, but have been fortunate to record some rare species and new records for some areas over the years.

You probably already know that (m.bournetti) is established under a manhole cover near (Sherwood Forest Visitor Centre ). I've sent them an email asking if they are likely to be opening it up when arachnofans could see the spiders within. On the other hand you'd probably rather find your own - I admire that. Hopefully this year I can make the transition to recording and doing something of use (On Sunday I prepared my first batch of 75% IDA solution so I can preserve difficult and/or contentious specimens, so I'm hopefully going in the right direction on this front).

At the moment I haven't even seen seg. senoculata ! let alone bavarica. Which reminds me of a massive glaring omission from my list, our very own 'tarantula' the purse web atypus affinus - embarassing as I know many sites for this near me - but I've yet to pick out a web.

Matt

[MattPrince]

Originally Posted by nikolai_avenger

Oh, mate. Good question, but where to start.

Mainly the following, based on the fact I now have a halfway decent camera (with macro attachment) and I am champing at the bit for photographing spiders this year:

1) Pisaura mirabilis... So far I've only had brief glimpses on a couple of occasions but I know they are to be found on my local patches.

2) Amaurobius ferox, which I have found in my garden.

3) Any salticid whatsoever.

4) Anything, really, that turns up in my local patches/garden.

Cheers. Nik.

Admirably flexible - especially no 4 - I look forward to more of your pictures in 'spider of the day', especially the salticids - the jumpers - who hasn't got a soft spot for them?

On a related note, have you seen this German book, its sadly out of print, but if you find a copy its worth it for the pictures alone, and is a useful addition to an arachnologists library - even if you don't sprackenzie Deutsche. I was lucky enough to find a second hand one at Portland Obs bookshop - its the kind of book that might just find its way into a SH bookshop at a reasonable price (not the price quoted by Amazon!)

[No.9 Spider]

Hi Matt, try the link below or just look or do a search on Abebooks (Advanced Book Exchange) available for under £30 posted.

Kosmos Atlas Spinnentiere Europas - AbeBooks

There are numerous foreign 'wants' though I've kept a few foreign species, many 'tarantulas' but also Latrodectus and Sicarius (the baddest).

I'd love to see Carparachne aureoflava, the White Lady or Cartwheel spider, a very interesting spider.
I use I.M.S. (Industrial Methylated Spirit) 70% in water for preservation. It's crazy that a licence is needed over here to buy I.M.S. and it costs a fortune, but abroad you just buy it in supermarkets dirt cheap.
I've found S. senoculata under bark on pine trees and oak trees fairly often.
Personally I can't really get my head around E. cinnaberinus being on the British list.

[MattPrince]

Originally Posted by No.9 Spider

Hi Matt, try the link below or just look or do a search on Abebooks (Advanced Book Exchange) available for under £30 posted.

Kosmos Atlas Spinnentiere Europas - AbeBooks

At that price its good value.

Originally Posted by No.9 Spider

There are numerous foreign 'wants' though I've kept a few foreign species, many 'tarantulas' but also Latrodectus and Sicarius (the baddest).

I'd love to see Carparachne aureoflava, the White Lady or Cartwheel spider, a very interesting spider.

I'll take your word on the Sicarius (Brown Recluse?) latrodectus is impressive enough and without the nasty necrotising bite.

Indeed the white lady would be something special ~ the only spiders I've noted abroad have been agriope lobata in the Crau, a large lycosid being parasitised in Les Alpilles and Golden Orbs in S.A.

Originally Posted by No.9 Spider

I use I.M.S. (Industrial Methylated Spirit) 70% in water for preservation. It's crazy that a licence is needed over here to buy I.M.S. and it costs a fortune, but abroad you just buy it in supermarkets dirt cheap.

I guess so, but then I've been using Stolichnya so far, and that's even more expensive, even if it smells much better. At least with the IMS I won't be tempted to bypass a difficult id with an impromptu cocktail.

I've found S. senoculata under bark on pine trees and oak trees fairly often.

If its anything like florentina in character then its a spider I want to see ~ thanks for the steer.

Personally I can't really get my head around E. cinnaberinus being on the British list.

Interesting.. I must admit, other than knowing its rare, I don't know much about its history, or its taxonomic position relative to similar species on the continent. Rightly or wrongly it makes a great poster species for UK arachnids.

Cheers,
Matt

[UB4 gardener]

some BIG wishes here in the top 3 but the last 2 i think are fairly realistic.
Micrommata virescens
Phlegra fasciata
araneus alsine
gibbaranea gibbosa
and believe it not araneus quadratus (only ever seen one)

Chris

[No.9 Spider]

".........I'll take your word on the Sicarius (Brown Recluse?) latrodectus is impressive enough and without the nasty necrotising bite."
Sicarius sp. are 'self burying spiders'. Mine used to raise it's body high on it's legs and with the first pair of legs dig like a dog, flicking sand underneath until it formed a hollow in the sand. It would then lie flat in the hollow and using the first pair of legs again would flick sand over itself before finally vibrating all it's legs 'til they disappeared under the sand.
Unfortunately Sicarius has a venom that causes severe haemorrhaging of the heart, liver and lungs within a few hours of a bite.
Segestria senoculata are nothing like S. florentina and are rather puny and unimpressive in comparison.

Micrommata virescens is another good but very elusive choice.