A useful spider website (ignore the pun)

I'm trying to warm to spiders. I'm feeling more sympathetic to them now Tegenaria season seems to be over (quote from a student: I thought it was a mouse running across the floor).

I was thinking about one I saw the other day as I sat on a wall in the sun - the much friendlier Salticus scenicus or Zebra Spider. They have big eyes and you can see them moving their head about to get a good view.

Zebra spider CC image by Fotonfanger

The species is also called a Jumping Spider - it's got a very distinctive jerky way of moving and it can leap surprisingly big distances. There are some videos on Wildscreen Arkive.

Whilst trying to find some information I chanced upon this page, part of Ed Neuwenheuy's 'Spiders of North-West Europe' site.

It's a 'spider location chart' which can help you recognise the family from the environment you find the spider in.

Under the chart, there is a panel of all the different spider families, from which you can find photos and an overview of the variety found in this part of the world. (He also has a thumbnail chart of these).

I think it looks very good - it should help you develop a feel for the characteristics of the different families. But you still can't avoid using the books with the keys of course :)

It strikes me how colourful spiders seem to be and how important it will be to record their colours and patterns before these potentially disappear (after death and in the preservation fluid) - or you'll be making the process of identifying them that much more difficult. Time to get your paintbox out perhaps. Or the camera on your phone I suppose.

16th October
This morning as I stumbled around the house in my early morning daze, it struck me that there are a lot of Pholcus phalangioides spiders around (we have low doorways and I came face to face with one).

CC image by Sven Siegmund

They're quite large but delicate looking. I was struck by its knees. They have a rather distinctive long pale body. If you actually get round to some housework to dislodge them they do a mad shaking manoevre (which you can see on this youtube video). However they're pretty hard and I've even heard tell that they despatch a Tegenaria. If this is true then they're welcome lodgers.

It's possible they're not native to this country, but they can survive its cold winters by living in nice warm houses - and they've made their way all over the world.