Hillside House spiders species list

Family Oonopidae.

Present in Hillside House, species needs checking (handlens or microscope required).

Apparently absent.

[One found on flint wall of Helhoughton church May 2018, prob. D. crocata.].

Family Dysderidae.

In the shed near Hillside House

Family Dysderidae.

Previously thought to be absent from plot as suitable old brick walls are missing. One found inside breeze block 02/11/2016 during the dismantling of a garden wall..

Family Scytodidae.

Apparently absent.

Family Pholcidae.

Abundant in Hillside House.

Family Salticidae.

On external walls round the house and shed, also on the log-stack built in 2016.

Picture shows the enormous forward-facing median pair of eyes.

Family Salticidae.

First found on west-facing external wall of Hillside House July 2022, during very hot weather. Males and females present, total 8+.

Now also found in subsequent summers and seems to be well-established on walls on the north end of the house.

Family Lycosidae.

Abundant in spring on short grass by pond.

Family Lycosidae.

One being hauled by pompilid wasp on patio.

Family Pisauridae.

Quite common in various places, by the pond, on the meadow, in short to medium length grass etc.

Family Gnaphosidae.

Needs checking.

Family Gnaphosidae: Herpyllus in Bristowe.

Present in Hillside House.

Family Agelenidae.

(A house spider relative). Present on the meadow and now in the garden area near Hillside House, perhaps reflecting changes in maintenance methods (intervals between grass cutting sessions increased).

[Was also very common in places on old grazing near the plot, on creeping thistle, before grazing was renovated.]

Family Agelenidae.

House spider. Present in Hillside House and in the shed.

Family Agelenidae. (Ciniflo ferox.)

One found in breeze block rubble 03/11/2016 during the dismantling of a garden wall.

Family Agelenidae. (Synonym Ciniflo similis).

Numerous, in the shed and elsewhere.

Family Theridiidae (comb-footed spiders).

In and around the shed, Hillside House.

Family Theridiidae (comb-footed spiders).

On creeping thistle flowers 2021-07-24.

Picture shows a female inside her tent refuge on hornbeam square (a grassy patch near the shed).

Family Tetragnathidae.

Found on the meadow. Also, now, on the young yew hedges.

Family Tetragnathidae ("large-jawed" orb-spinners).

Found in 2020 in several places by Hillside House. From size, probably P. clercki (Bristowe p.255 says length is 6mm for this species) or perhaps P. degeeri. Abdomen on one or two individuals strongly patterned, noticeably diamond-shaped. Cephalothorax dark.

Bristowe says this genus has abandoned web-spinning, except in the young spiderlings. The adults apparently actively search for prey (the 'vagabond' lifestyle). Surprisingly, modern phylogenies suggest that orbweb-spinning is an ancient trait, abandoned by many modern groups (among the 'RTA' clade, which includes wolf spiders and jumping spiders).

Family Tetragnathidae ("large-jawed" orb-spinners). An orb-spinner. Formerly Meta segmentata.

Probably this species. By 2024 this spider could fairly be described as abundant on the Hillside House plot. In 2018, had become quite numerous on yew hedges and shrubby plants.

This species is very close to M. mengei and various sources say they can only reliably be separated by microscopic examination of epigyne or male palps (or spines on male legs). On the pictured spider, seen in late summer, the dark stripe on the underside of the abdomen seems to extend beyond (in front of) the epigyne and epigastric groove.

Family Argiopidae. (Formerly, in e.g. Bristowe or Locket & Millidge, Araneus cornutus).

First record 2024. A female on web at top of nettle plant July 2024. Probably others near main pond, too small to be certain in the field.

[Present in 1970s on Bungay (Outney) Common.]

Family Argiopidae. (Formerly Araneus umbraticus).

Resident in the shed roof. In woodwork of a garden seat August 2016. Also in woodwork supporting planted poplar trees August 2019.

[Also, in split stem of goat willow near Hindolveston 2019, perhaps the archaic habitat type.]

Family Argiopidae.

Present, at first in rather small numbers, now increasing. Webs are on thistles, nettles etc, some of which are left to grow now -- previously they were probably removed by mowing.

Counts of this and other Araneus species might be useful as a proxy for the background numbers of flying insects. The species is (relatively) large, easy to recognise and still reasonably common.

Family Argiopidae.

Resident on the meadow in small numbers.

In August 2019, a few were present in the triangular grassy or thistly area just north of the main pond.

Older records include 1) one within the poplar planting area October 2018; 2) some on grassy area just south of main pond; 3) a few found on the meadow in autumn 2014.

[Present on old grazing fields east of South Raynham church.]

Family Argiopidae.

By 2020, increasingly found round the plot on tallish herbs (thistles, docks etc) in late summer.

First recorded close to the main pond in tall reedy rank vegetation, autumn 2016 -- a female inside her tent.

Also on spear thistles on grassy areas just south of, and just north of, the main pond, August 2019.

Family Argiopidae. Formerly Araneus cucurbitinus.

On pine by shed, 2016.

On yew hedge May 2020.

Family Argiopidae.

Needs checking. A Zygiella species is present on the structure of the shed.

Family Argiopidae.

Needs checking. A Zygiella species is present on window frames all round Hillside House.

Family Argiopidae.

Tentatively identified in 2021, on orb-web, on Juncus effusus by poplars A03 and A13, 2021-07-12.

Confirmed in 2024, see picture. Present in at least two places (meadow MSE and grassy / thistly area just south of main pond).

Family Linyphiidae.

One of the larger species of Linyphiid spiders and often found upside down under its web on hedges and low vegetation. At Hillside House, at first, seemed strangely scarce or even absent. Since the planting of the yew hedges in 2013, numbers have increased and this species now probably figures in the diet of some passerine birds (e.g. coal tit) in Hillside House garden.

Family Linyphiidae.

(Probably this species). Likely to land on anyone sitting outside by Hillside House in the summer months.

One of the many Linyphiid species likely to tbe present on the plot, but correct identification requires microscopic examination.

Family Linyphiidae.

(Probably this species).

Low webs are abundant on cut grass round the plot. (With no superstructure, said to glisten like snail trails.)