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Gloucestershire Naturalists' Society |
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Gloucestershire Naturalists' Society |
In the November 2000 issue of the Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society a complete revised check-list of British spiders was presented by Merrett and Murph. The order of families is changed from that used previously in the standard reference works. Name changes have also been accepted in accordance with recent taxonomic revisions. The present check-list includes 645 species with a further 11 species for the Channel Islands. Future spider reports will follow the nomenclature as set out in the revised check-list.
In 2001 spiders were collected on GIG Field Meetings totalling 87 species from 13 sites. Of these 2 were Nationally Scarce Category B and 16 Nationally Local. Bisley Road Cemetery near Stroud yielded 39 species typical of a site with mature trees, scrub, grassland and warm stony surfaces. No doubt the abundant spider population provided rich pickings for the 40 common lizards observed on and around the gravestones.
As in previous years I accompanied David Long surveying Trust reserves. Siccaridge Wood received 8 visits from May to December and 78 species were recorded, one Nationally Scarce Category A, one Category B and 22 Nationally Local.
While putting together this report there arrived the Provisional Atlas of British Spiders, 2 volumes, published by the Biological Records Centre. The atlas is the result of over half a million records submitted to the Spider Recording Scheme since it was launched in 1987. I hope to write a review of the atlas for the Journal in due course. A copy of the atlas will shortly be available at the Society’s Library at Hartpury College or it can be ordered from the :- Biological Records Centre, CEH Monks Wood, Abbotts Ripton, Huntingdon, Cambs. PE28 2LS (£20.00)
May I thank those members who have contributed records and to David Long whose continued company has enhanced our knowledge of the spiders on Trust Reserves.
Significant Records:
Nesticus cellulanus (Clerck, 1757), Nationally Local
Previously recorded from Clearwell Caves in 1990. In 2001 recorded twice from Siccaridge Wood 16/05/01: 18/12/01, SO 90G and Stonehouse Disused Railway 13/08/01, SO 801053, Colin Twissell. This species requires habitats with high humidity and the 2001 records were close to the Stroudwater canal and overhung by a tree canopy.
Episinus angulatus (Blackwall, 1836), Nationally Local.
Few records exist for this essentially southern species. Recorded in 2001 at Bisley Road Cemetery SO 805, 20/5/01 and Siccaridge Wood 5/6/01. It is easily recognised by having a sharp truncated abdomen giving an obvious triangular appearance when viewed from above.
Steatoda grossa (C.L. Koch, 1838), Nationally Local.
Generally found in and around houses and mostly south-western in distribution. Tony Taylor of Quedgeley has reported a colony in his garden 19/11/01, SO 803137, with adults and juveniles. This species is reported for Gloucestershire in Bristowe’s ‘Comity of Spiders’ 1939 and R.S. George’s, ‘Brief List of the Spiders recorded from Gloucestershire’, 1955, but no details of locality given. The recent Provisional Atlas has a post 1980 dot for ST 99 but may not be within county boundary. This spider has been reported as preying on Black Widow spiders in North America!
Achaearanea lunata (Clerck, 1757) Nationally Local
Essentially a species of shaded woodland, individuals were found in their webs on 4 occasions in Siccaridge Wood. The favoured habitat was in hazel coppice with a large scaffold web at around shoulder height. The spider makes a retreat within two or three dead leaves suspended in the centre of the web. An unexpected location was on railings adjacent to Pittville Park, Cheltenham, 16/9/01, SO 954235. The spider can be observed from the pavement on Evesham Road where it bisects Pittville Park.
Walckenaeria furcillata (Menge, 1869) Nationally local
A single female of this uncommon species was recorded at Siccaridge Wood, 3/7/01. This appears to be a New County Record.
Entelecara flavipes (Blackwall, 1834) Nationally Local, formerly Nb.
A single female of this uncommon and very local species was recorded at Siccaridge Wood, 24/7/01. The Provisional Atlas has a dot for SO 51 but may be outside the county boundary.
Metopobactrus prominulus ( O.P - Cambridge, 1872) Nationally Local
Apart from an Atlas record at SO50, the 2001 record from Siccaridge Wood 3/7/01 would appear to be the first definite county record for V-c 33.
Saaristoa firma (O.P. – Cambridge, 1905) Nationally Local
A widespread but very scattered species. A previous record was Midger Wood, 23/6/99 and in 2001 two further records were made at Siccaridge Wood, 14/11/01, 18/12/01. Crocker and Daws, ‘Spiders of Leicestershire and Rutland’ 1996 regard this spider as an indicator of ancient woodland.
Tetragnatha pinicola L. Koch, 1870 Nationally Scarce Category B Nb
A female recorded from Rack Isle, Bibury, SP 10 D, 1/7/01. Colin and Ingrid Twissell. There are fewer than ten records from T.pinicola in Gloucestershire. The bulk of records are from V-c 33.
Tetragnatha nigrita Lendl, 1886 Nationally Local
Two females were identified from Rack Isle, Bibury, 1/7/01 Colin and Ingrid Twissell. The Atlas shows two records at SU09 and SU19 in the area of the Cotswold Water Park.
Nigma puella (Simon, 1870), Nationally Scarce, Category B. Nb
A single female was swept at an orchard, Little London, SO 7018, 6/10/01 by Colin Twissell. This is the fourth county record. The Atlas shows the main centres of distribution on the Essex coast, coastal Hampshire, Devon, Somerset and Gloucestershire.
Nigma walckenaeria (Roewer 1951) Nationally Scarce, Category A, Na.
Nigel Burston has added further records for this essentially Thames Valley spider. All his records are from September and October 2000 and from in and around the Tewkesbury area. (1) Beckford SO 980356; (2) Queen Margaret’s Camp, SO 896314; (3) on ivy, lilac and elder alongside cemetery, Prior’s Park Estate, SO 892318. A good sized population is also established on the protected disused railway line, the glow-worm site.
Micrommata virescens (Clerck, 1757) Nationally Local
A single sub-adult female was swept from scrub at Siccaridge Wood, 5/6/01. There are fewer than ten records from this spider in Gloucestershire and of these only one has been for the adult male which has a short season. Records for the handsome adult red and yellow male would be very welcome. This is essentially a woodland spider usually swept from sunny clearings or along rides, in May and June.
Bianor aurocinctus (Ohlert, 1865) Nationally Scarce, Categaory A Na
Apart from a mention in R.S. George’s 1955 list for the Forest of Dean, this species had not been seen in Gloucestershire in recent decades. Hence it was with some excitement that a single male was identified after being swept from low scrub in Siccaridge Wood 5/6/01. The male is unmistakable being furnished with greatly thickened femora and tibiae on the first pair of legs. Most records are from the south-east of England and elsewhere the species has a widely scattered distribution.
Ballus chalybeius (Walckenaer, 1802)
This is the third county record and the first for vc33. A single immature female was swept in the same area and on the same day as the previous species.
Stop Press:
Scotina palliardii (L. Koch, 1991) Nationally Scarce Category A Na.
Keith Alexander passed a record for this species from Snows Farm, 21/11/98, SO 8808, obtained by suction sampling from unimproved limestone grassland. Identity was confirmed by Peter Merrett who said that this was the first record for E.Glos.
Uloborus plumipes
Recent issues of the Spider Recording Scheme Newsletter have exhorted members to look out for this spider in garden centres. This is an Old World species but is becoming increasingly common in the house plant sections of garden centres. Since April 2002 it has been recorded on 3 occasions. HighField Garden Centre, Whitminster, SO 776080, 24/04/02, Hurrans Garden Centre, Churchdown 26/04/02 – these two by Colin and Ingrid Twissell; and Blooms Garden Centre, Bishop Cleeve, 11/5/02. Close inspection shows the feathery hairs on tibia I.
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