Andy Phillips European Salticidae Collection & Photos
The best find, while carrying out a survey of post industrial sites around Beckton Gas Works adjacent to the Thames, was this Synageles venator.
Also recorded six other species of Salticidae including Ballus chalybeius, Talavera aequipes, Euophrys frontalis, Heliophanus flavipes, Heliophanus cupreus and Salticus scenicus.
Commonly found on walls, buildings and fence posts but at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve Salticus scenicus (Clerck, 1757) can be found inhabiting a more natural habitat – coastal vegetated shingle. The species can be particularly abundant on this habitat, especially at this site. Pseudeuophrys obsoleta (Simon, 1868), Sitticus inexpectus Logunov & Kronestedt, 1997 and Euophrys frontalis (Walckenaer, 1802) were also present in the same area these pictures were taken but unfortunately it was not possible to get any decent photographs on this occasion.
Pseudeuophrys lanigera (Simon, 1871) is a regular inhabitant of my roof terrace in St Leonards, East Sussex, UK. The spider is probably quite common along the south coast and I’ve seen it at nearly every house or flat I’ve lived at in Hastings, but due to it’s unusual habitat (high up on buildings, usually amongst roof tiles) it is rarely reported and even more rarely photographed. The species is more or less restricted to western Europe but has also been found in Turkey.
The sexes of this common spider of southern Europe, are commonly confused by the casual observer due to the long, robust, pale hairs covering the females palps. This gives the impression they have bulbous palps similar to the palps of many male Salticidae. A closer look will clearly show the female palpal segments are simple and undifferentiated. Conversely the mature male palps of this species are actually quite small and slim for the size of the spider, but clearly differentiated when viewed through a lens or microscope.
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