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Articles | Entomology |  Spiders

Spot that spider

Spot that spider
Spiders are easily recognised from insects and other creepy crawlies. Unlike insects, they posses 4 pairs of legs and 2 distinct body segments (instead of 3 pairs of legs and 3 body segments). All spiders have the same general appearance; the front body segment, or prosoma, is hard whilst the normally larger rear body segment (opisthosoma) is softer. The prosoma and opisthosoma are joined with a narrow stalk known as the pedicel. Spiders belong to the class Arachnida which also includes scorpions, ticks, and mites.

Long-legged beauties

There are around 650 species of spiders found in the UK. The largest include the Cardinal spider Tegenaria parietina with a leg span of more than 10cm and the Four-spot orbweaver Araneus quadratus which weighs up to 2.5g. One of the smallest is the money spider or the Minute maro Maro minutus, well known in folklore to bring good fortune. Worldwide there are an estimated 35,000 species of spider. All are carnivores with powerful fangs, called chelicerae, which are used to bite and crush prey, and to inject venom.

Farm and garden helpers

Many of the spiders found commonly in farmland and gardens, particularly the money spiders and wolf spiders, are considered beneficial natural predators, since they often eat aphids, leafhoppers, gall midges, stem- and root-boring flies, cutworm moths and other undesirable insect pests of crop and garden plants

Natural defences

All spiders bite and nearly all inject venom into their prey, but the fangs of the vast majority of species are too small to penetrate human skin and very few will bite people, even when severely provoked. Among the native spiders of Britain there are only one or two species that require some caution if handled. The water spider Argyroneta can give a fairly painful bite, but usually this is much less severe than the bites and stings of many common insects. Somewhat unpleasant bite wounds can also be inflicted by the larger species of Cheiracanthium and Steatoda sometimes found in and around house and other buildings.
Silk spinning strategists

Silk spinning strategists

Spider webs are often the most obvious sign that you have spiders in your garden or buildings. Webs are not only used to trap flying insect prey; spiders also use their silk to produce egg sacs, immobilise prey, disperse themselves on air currents and create shelters. Spider silk is a protein material and is produced by glands in the spinning organs near the tip of the abdomen. The web most familiar to people is probably the large orb web; however, spiders also spin funnels, tent-like structures and fine sheets spread across soil or other substrates. Whilst webs can be indicative of the spider family, no two webs are the same and can vary in a single individual depending on time of year or habitat.

Find out more

A great way to get started identifying Britain's spiders is the FSC Guide to House and Garden Spiders, an identification key to 40 species of common garden and house spiders.

Spot that spider

Spot that spider
Spiders are easily recognised from insects and other creepy crawlies. Unlike insects, they posses 4 pairs of legs and 2 distinct body segments (instead of 3 pairs of legs and 3 body segments). All spiders have the same general appearance; the front body segment, or prosoma, is hard whilst the normally larger rear body segment (opisthosoma) is softer. The prosoma and opisthosoma are joined with a narrow stalk known as the pedicel. Spiders belong to the class Arachnida which also includes scorpions, ticks, and mites.

Long-legged beauties

There are around 650 species of spiders found in the UK. The largest include the Cardinal spider Tegenaria parietina with a leg span of more than 10cm and the Four-spot orbweaver Araneus quadratus which weighs up to 2.5g. One of the smallest is the money spider or the Minute maro Maro minutus, well known in folklore to bring good fortune. Worldwide there are an estimated 35,000 species of spider. All are carnivores with powerful fangs, called chelicerae, which are used to bite and crush prey, and to inject venom.

Farm and garden helpers

Many of the spiders found commonly in farmland and gardens, particularly the money spiders and wolf spiders, are considered beneficial natural predators, since they often eat aphids, leafhoppers, gall midges, stem- and root-boring flies, cutworm moths and other undesirable insect pests of crop and garden plants

Natural defences

All spiders bite and nearly all inject venom into their prey, but the fangs of the vast majority of species are too small to penetrate human skin and very few will bite people, even when severely provoked. Among the native spiders of Britain there are only one or two species that require some caution if handled. The water spider Argyroneta can give a fairly painful bite, but usually this is much less severe than the bites and stings of many common insects. Somewhat unpleasant bite wounds can also be inflicted by the larger species of Cheiracanthium and Steatoda sometimes found in and around house and other buildings.
Silk spinning strategists

Silk spinning strategists

Spider webs are often the most obvious sign that you have spiders in your garden or buildings. Webs are not only used to trap flying insect prey; spiders also use their silk to produce egg sacs, immobilise prey, disperse themselves on air currents and create shelters. Spider silk is a protein material and is produced by glands in the spinning organs near the tip of the abdomen. The web most familiar to people is probably the large orb web; however, spiders also spin funnels, tent-like structures and fine sheets spread across soil or other substrates. Whilst webs can be indicative of the spider family, no two webs are the same and can vary in a single individual depending on time of year or habitat.

Find out more

A great way to get started identifying Britain's spiders is the FSC Guide to House and Garden Spiders, an identification key to 40 species of common garden and house spiders.

Articles | Entomology |  Spiders



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