Very small spider for ID please

[goosey]

I was hoping for moths but only managed a few spiders this evening, luckily they were small ones . I don't know if they are both the same or different.

Image 1. was less than 1cm long - it is on the leaf of a crocus so you can imagine it was small.

Image 2. I don't hold out any hope for an ID but I just want to get use to photographing creatures that usually freak me out. The hole is only 8mm in diameter but the spider seems quite at home in the tight space and has started to spin a web.

1. 2.

[dmclean3]

Hi Goosey,
I'll take a stab at pic No1 and suggest Drasodes sp,
possibly D. lapidosus,
but wait for conformation from Venger or No9,
I'm glad that you are taking pics of spiders they are facinating creatures,
Try and make a Spi-pot from 2 clear raspberry trifle pots (eat the trifle first)
if you turn one upside down you will see a little circle near the lip, cut round this and glue a circular peice of polystyrene about 8mm thick on to it.
Take the other pot and cut closer to the edge with this one, then tear a bit of clingfilm and put it over the opening of the base, catch your spider in the clingfilm one and gently push the polystyrene one into it to trap the spider, you can examine it now looking for details to help ID it , if you cut a circular peice of graph paper and stick it onto the polystyrene you will have a 2mm x 2mm square grid to help with the size,
Lots of luck
Duncan

[goosey]

Hi Dunc, I thought you had forgotten about us!
I am taking little steps with little spiders - the smaller the better, I dont think I could bare to move or look at them even through a pot yet , although I am really trying to make an effort. Its funny I can deal with them alot better when they are outside rather than in the house.
Paul has taught me to help with being able to ID beetles I need to get images of the mandible where possible - what do I need with spiders?

Drasodes lapidosus looks a bit too big for my spider unless mine is a youngster, but apart from size it looks quite good.
Thanks for you help - I will hang around and see if Venger or No9 can help any further.

[dmclean3]

Hi Goosey,
I'll start you off with this one, Spider eye sets, some spiders have 6 eyes and some have 8, they are arranged on the carapace in different sets,
if you can take a photo of the eyes from straight on, then maybe one from above the head, then you can most likely ID the spider to genus, ID'ing it to species is more tricky, find out whether male or female by looking at the palps,
But one step at a time, here is a site that covers the eye sets,
Spinnen van Belgi - Araignes de Belgique - Spiders of Belgium
I printed 9 pages off and trimmed them down to the size of a book, stapled them to-gether so that I can take them with me when I go out looking for spiders in the field
Good luck
Dunc
ps; save the site to your bookmarks

Here are a couple of pics, one from above and one head on

[goosey]

Thanks for the link Duncan - I didn't realise spiders had so many eyes, its a very handy way of being able to get closer to an ID by the positioning of them though.
I will bare this in mind in future and try to get a piccie of that angle .

[No.9 Spider]

Unsure on pic. 1 for now, but is not Drassodes sp. Could be Theridiidae or Linyphiidae.
Pic 2 is probably Segestria sp. and probably Segestria senoculata. I think you can just make out the radiating lines.


No.9 Spider

[goosey]

Thanks No.9 Spider, I have retitled image 2. for now as a possible a Segestria Sp.
He is still there, I see him when its dark (never during the day as far as I can remember) when I am looking for moths. I just see the legs stuck out like that, so I will see if any time he exposes a bit more of himself to help see if it is a Segestria senoculata or not.

[goosey]

Here we are, at last it decided to poke it's head out. Does it look good for a Segestria senoculata?

[Venger]

Well its definitely a Segestria spp. You can definitely make out 6 eyes.

[goosey]

Originally Posted by Venger

Well its definitely a Segestria spp. You can definitely make out 6 eyes.

Sorry Venger - I didn't mean to edit you, I meant to Quote you and pressed the wrong button .

What I wanted to say was, I don't know about 6 eyes - but your must be good to spot them - lots of practice and experience.

Thanks for the confirmation .

[Venger]

The joys of photoshop Goosey, when you lighten up the image you can clearly see the eye layout, or enough of it for me to recognise the six eye set up.

While these pictures below are of Segestria florentina, it represents the eye set up for Segestria spp
http://www.jorgenlissner.dk/images&#...L4564_4081.JPG
http://www.jorgenlissner.dk/images%5...L4564_4072.JPG

(Jorgen does take some excellent pictures!)