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Species Identification Help!
Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 4:28 pm
by hannah
Hello,
I was wondering if anyone can help with the identification of this spider? It was walking on one of the desks in the RECORD office. It is only tiny about 4mm long, this picture is of it under the USB microscope.
Thanks
Hannah
Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Mon May 18, 2009 8:56 pm
by SteveMcBill
Hi Hannah
A common Summer spider in our area - usually on sunny walls or the sunny sides of sheds etc. (I get them in my greenhouse and on the back (south facing) wall of the house).
It is the Zebra Spider (Salticus scenicus).
Hope that helps.
Steve 
Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 3:58 pm
by Tom
More spider identification help required please. These were photographed by a photographer in the butterfly house in the Zoo. Given their location, there's a chance they aren't native, but that would be worth knowing in itself.
Thanks,
Tom
Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 4:14 pm
by SteveMcBill
Tom
The top picture in your set of two is a Cobweb Spider (Pholcus phalangiodes) - these are fairly common in the Zoo - they certainly breed in the Gents toilets in the basement of Oakfield House.
I'm afraid I am no help at all with the second (lower) species - I cannot make it out from the picture (it may be a Steatoda but I say that with no conviction at all). Perhaps John McGaw would be able to help if you alerted him to the entry directly - as the County Spider Recorder and a close friend of rECOrd.
Cheers
Steve
Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 6:14 pm
by anno
Steodota - the infamous 'False Widow' eh?
The (to my eyes) yellowish markings on the abdomen would suggest S. phalerata according to the illustrations in Watson's online key;
http://delta-intkey.com
A 'locally scarce' species apparently; definitely one for Mr.McGaw ......
Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 4:41 pm
by Tom
Thanks Anno, that's interesting. Here's another one. I'm not sure where the location is though.
Tom
Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 5:46 pm
by johnmcgaw
Hi Tom,
The spider on brickwork is probably an Amaurobius species. A. similis lives in tubular retreats within holes in walls but the size and dark coloration of the abdomen suggests possibly a female A. ferox. (body length 12-16mm).
I think 2.5 cm is a bit of an overestimate!
John
Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Thu May 13, 2010 8:37 pm
by johnmcgaw
Hello again Tom,
Regarding the 2nd spider photo taken in the zoo butterfly house - nice picture but 'side-on' view means no clear carapace/abdomen pattern visible. Shape of abdomen is inconsistent with Steatoda species which tend to have oval abdomens (when viewed from above) and they usually have a light band around the front of the abdomen which I can't make out in the photo.
Think I can make out an epigyne which signifies a mature female - can someone pop one in a tube so we can make a definitive identification microscopically?
John
Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 4:35 pm
by karenl
Can anyone help me identify this spider captured using my hi-tech 'wok' trap
?
Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Tue May 25, 2010 4:49 pm
by SteveMcBill
Karen
It is an Amaurobius species.
Possibly a female Amaurobius similis.
Steve
Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 10:53 am
by Tom
We've had an enquiry regarding the spider below. From the telephone descriptions and the image, I have suggested the garden cross Araneus diadematus. Can anyone confirm / challenge this?
Thanks,
Tom
Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 10:57 am
by SteveMcBill
Tom,
I copied the image into Photoshop and lightened it so I could see more detail.
That IS a Garden-cross Spider (Araneus diadematus).
Cheers
Steve
Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2010 12:36 pm
by ChrisGJ
Here is another spider for identification please. An enormous spider on the wall of our toilet.
Looking at Google images suggests it may be Tegenaria gigantea. No record shown on your system for SJ407686.
Chris
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Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 2:52 pm
by SteveMcBill
Chris,
That photo is of a Tegenaria species (possibly domestica or even gigantea). Sorry but I cannot tell which without examination of the genitalia. Perhaps John McGaw (County recorder) would have more success.
Steve
Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 8:58 pm
by ChrisGJ
This was on the garage door at home. The thing that attracted my attention was the second pair of legs being much longer than the others at 85mm span.
http://www.Bioimages.org.UK shows
Dicranopalpus ramosus as a possible identification. Do you agree?
Chris
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Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:34 pm
by anno
Sheffield Museum Senior Curator Paul Richards recently published the national field guide to British Harvestmen - he would be your best bet for a definitive answer,its certainly an impressive beastie...
Anno
Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 3:30 pm
by johnmcgaw
Definitely Dicranopalpus ramosus - the very long 'forked' pedipalps are characteristic and distinguish this species from all other harvestmen. Length of a second leg is in the range of 40-50mm. My house has whitewashed walls and this species can be seen quite often in a characteristic resting position on the wall with the legs on each side held out at right angles to the body.
Nice photos.
John
Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 8:03 pm
by ChrisGJ
I got an email from Paul Richards confirming John McGraw's comments,
Chris:
Yes, this is a nice male Dicranopalpus ramosus. The long second pair of legs is a distinguishing characteristic of all harvestmen. The easy ID character of D.ramosus is the forked nature of the palps. I often call them ‘tuning fork harvestmen’ because of the way they hold these ‘V-signs’ out at the front. A fascinating creature that arrived in Britain (Eastbourne) in the late nineteen-fifties and has slowly been walking northwards ever since. Now one of the commonest species around, especially if you sweep high up in hedges and small trees.
Harvestmen are one of the easiest groups of invertebrates to get to grips with in Britain, with the majority of the 27 species being identifiable from one or two characters.
If you are interested in learning more, I am running a Harvestmen Identification Workshop from 11.30 – 4.00 on Sat 17th Sept at Weston Park Museum in Sheffield. It costs £25 with concessions for various categories including members of the Sorby Natural History Society and students (10% off). If you are interested in attending, let me know and I can book you a place, which is confirmed with a cheque payable to Museums Sheffield. (Details attached)
I have a number of participants coming from Cheshire (Cheshire Active Naturalists (CAN) group), so you won’t be alone in crossing the Peak district.
See: http://www.record-lrc.co.uk/forum/calen ... alEid=1015
Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:48 pm
by Tom
This spider photograph was sent to us with a request for identification. It looks a lot like the common garden cross, Araneus diadematus, but red. According to the internet, there is a red form of this spider. Is mike diagnosis likely to be correct?
Tom
Re: Species Identification Help!
Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2011 12:07 pm
by bankst
I've found enormous variability in the colour of A. diadematus. I took these two photos last year, just 12 days apart. Admittedly, one was on a mountainside scree in Norway and the other in a garden in Surrey, but I think they are the same species, which have apparently evolved to blend in with their surroundings.
Old Tom.