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| Araneus quadratus |
It seems to be relatively scarce (or at least under-recorded) in Glamorgan:
Southern Marsh Orchids
Wednesday, 18 September 2013
Araneus quadratus
It is a good time of year to look for spiders and I spotted this one, Araneus quadratus, feeding on a cranefly in grassland on the capped asbsetos waste tip on Rhoose Point. While colour is variable it is a distinctive species; the 4 large white spots on its abdomen are diagnostic. It is one of the comparatively few of the 650 British spiders that can be identified without resorting to a hand lens or a stereo microscope.
The Spider Recording Scheme reports that it is widespread but patchily distributed throughout Britain. It is thought to be declining, probably because of habitat loss as it requires undisturbed vegetation with sufficient height and strength to support its large webs. It is also Britains heaviest spider, and this female specimen's abdomen was an impressive 14mm in diameter.
It seems to be relatively scarce (or at least under-recorded) in Glamorgan:
It seems to be relatively scarce (or at least under-recorded) in Glamorgan:
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Interesting you've seen this at Rhoose - I've only ever seen it in wet 'Marsh Fritillary' grassland, where it seems particularly common. In fact, it's something of a pest during Marsh Fritillary surveys - not only do you end up with lots of the spiders crawling uip your legs, you also get covered in webbing and the remains of half eaten insects. And you often find one in the car on the way home. Once I got into the car the next morning to find a beautiful web strung right across the front dash!
ReplyDeleteGeorge
It was the first A quadratus I have seen in a long time George, but strangely enough as these thinngs sometimes happen the very next day I spotted another (a male) hanging off the eaves of the lovely little church down in Porthkerry! A bit like buses perhaps.
ReplyDeleteI must admit I would probably be a bit freaked out if I had one crawling up my leg - they are a bit big for that!
I generally don't record spiders, but this is one I see frequently. Ditto George's comments, how many times have I ended up with one crawling up my neck as I'm driving home!
ReplyDeleteSipders are an interesting group and the Collins Field Guide by Roberts is usually reasonably easy to find your way around. The price is affordable too! I can understand why they aren't everyones cup of tea though...
ReplyDelete