#arachtober A-Z: Day 9: I is for Indoxysticus - a monotypic crab spider genus with a very distinct abdomen pattern Day 10: J is for Jerzego - an oddly named genus of jumping spiders that seem to mimic ants and hate being photographed @britishspiders.bsky.social

#arachtober A-Z: Day 6 - F for Floronia - the chameleon spider Day 7 - G for Gnaphosa (the best spider genus in the best spider family, no other opinions accepted) Day 8 - H for Heteropoda - giant huntsman spiders (pictured is the delightful H. davidbowie) @britishspiders.bsky.social

@britishspiders.bsky.social @tylanberry.bsky.social @graemelyons.bsky.social Me: I don't have a favourite UK spider Also me: 😍 #Arachtober

Wacky unicornis - two from Sundays efforts in the Wicken fens. I can't spell Walckenaeria. Or can I?

Don't know if I'll have time for a daily #arachtober find this year, so I'll go with an A-Z of genera instead. A for Amyciaea (Thomisidae), an ant-mimic B for Bijoaraneus (Araneidae) - 'kidney garden spider' C for Corinnomma (Corinnidae), another ant-mimic @britishspiders.bsky.social

The Ig Nobel is incredible , one year an Indian guy won it for calculating the average surface area of an elephant and during his acceptance they had an elephant hold up a sign with the surface area of the scientist on it, they do showbiz better than the Oscars

In the UK, finding a new salticid is a privilege. In Singapore, over 10 species in 5 hours isn’t unusual! Here’s a selection - from left: Epeus sp., Viciria pavesii, Chalcovietnamicus daiqini and the iconic and intelligent spider-hunter Portia fimbriata. @britishspiders.bsky.social

No. 2 and 1 in the weirdest spider palps contest (UK chapter). Left: Labulla thoracica, right: Mastigusa arietina. Lucky enough to see both within a week, and finally photograph Mastigusa properly (thanks to @chalkspring.bsky.social) @tylanberry.bsky.social @britishspiders.bsky.social

Getting out of the car in Camborne: Cake collection....3 minutes. Badumna longinqua count....5 It's as easy as...errrm...cake? @britishspiders.bsky.social @graemelyons.bsky.social @cofnod.org.uk @chalkspring.bsky.social

@britishspiders.bsky.social @tylanberry.bsky.social Waterside Long-jawed Orb Weavers aren't usually easy to identify in situ. There is one exception: with the extremely wide spacing between its anterior and posterior lateral eyes, Tetragnatha striata is unique amongst the UK species in this genus

Uncovered this stunner while lifting heather in search of Gnaphosidae, Last record i can see in 1995 for this site, ive seen the webs before but never the spider, ive searched for wandering males no luck as of yet. Atypus affinis @britishspiders.bsky.social #spiders #arachnids

Always keep your eye out for collections of dirt hanging in mid air at the base of walls, particularly where you see Lasius niger marching in lines. Note the thick support threads and longer, hollow retreat structure - this is no Cryptachaea blattea, this is C. riparia! @britishspiders.bsky.social

@britishspiders.bsky.social @tylanberry.bsky.social @graemelyons.bsky.social A good start to my Scotland trip, but the weather forecast doesn't look promising. Clubiona subsultans, Dipoena torva (not shown), Cryphoeca silvicola, and a decent supporting cast

New species are great, but it's not often I get to tick off a new family. Psechrus sp. (Psechridae), my 46th wild spider family. Technically added Ctenidae moments earlier with a Bowie sp. but that one didn't want to stay still for photos so I will wait... @britishspiders.bsky.social

Recorded two females and four male Thomisus onustus from a site in west sussex first time ive found them at this site, last records are from Dick Jones in 1996 so great the species is still there and doing well. @britishspiders.bsky.social #spiders #thomisusonustus #ukspiders

Can we all just take a moment to stare into those puppy-dog eyes... 😍 I think it's very important to see invertebrates up close so you can see that they are not 'out to get you' or 'creepy'. Instead, they are absolute wonders of evolution.

Some more special spiders from under stones on the Dorset cliffs - Gnaphosa lugubris and an absolute tank of a Phaeocedus braccatus. Interesting how the fauna on the limestone differs to the granite that I'm used to in Cornwall. @britishspiders.bsky.social @graemelyons.bsky.social @cofnod.org.uk

Some species slip under the radar—like quiet Treecreepers, ancient Ferns, or stealthy Grass Snakes. 🐍🌿 This #30DaysWild, take time to notice the overlooked and learn their stories. 🔍 Discover more: buff.ly/ht2VRhh

Definitely top 5 linys on my wish list!

!!!

Ive only seen this spider once before in my home. Its an adult male Theridion familiare. West Sussex @britishspiders.bsky.social

One of several Mountain Vipers (Vipera monticola) observed high in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco yesterday. Lizard eaters making a life at high altitudes and with a short season of activity. #herps #snakes 🌿

🕷️Close-up view of the eyes of a little "Oklahoma Brown Tarantula" (Aphonopelma hentzi) found beneath a stone in the woods. Apparently females can live up to ~20 years, and males ~5-10!

Seems markedly different from florentina - I wonder if I’ll ever be lucky enough to see one

Happy 99th birthday to the man who gave voice to the wild. 🎉 Sir David Attenborough, thank you for a lifetime dedicated to the natural world, and for sharing its story with wisdom, wonder, and grace. You've inspired generations to fall in love with nature.

Theridion hannoniae. Checked up on the local population. Have spread to a few of the surrounding stones now, but still concentrated in that specific spot. Ants seem to be the prey. 1st shows an egg sack. Don't know if it's related. @britishspiders.bsky.social @tylanberry.bsky.social

Here's the littlun from last week....yep, Altella lucida! From a new site again - I had a feeling that if I returned to the Gnaphosa site at Penhale Point with a refined eye I might find it there. Presumed regionally extinct a few years ago, now at four cliff sites here. @britishspiders.bsky.social

Young burrowing wolf decided a passing antlion larvae was worth leaving the burrow to catch, and, as someone who can be coaxed out of the house to find strange creatures, I relate. #InverteFest

Perfect weather for Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela campestris) today! This male was seen at Cwm Tips, near Beddau, this morning. Just look at those fearsome jaws!

Has an Eratigena ever won one of these battles? Surely a wandering male Pholcus would be no match for one

www.wwt.org.uk/news-and-sto... Glad to have been able to help discover this particularly rare spider in London, at its first known fully ‘natural’ site in the county. @britishspiders.bsky.social

Hooray, another jumping spider friend. This handsome Tan Jumping Spider was out exploring a brick wall. Jumping spiders are like tiny cats, they hunt prey by prowling around and will even chase laser pointers. #invert (Platycryptus undatus) Pennsylvania

I mean this in an encouraging way: try to unlearn your disgust of “creepy” crawlies. While not always easy, it is so richly rewarding to develop an appreciation for some of the most numerous and fascinating animals that you can see just about every time you go outside. There is wonder everywhere.

@britishspiders.bsky.social Always great to see a spider I've never seen before and really lucky that there's a thriving colony of these not too far from my home. A truly stunning species. Thanks to @snake-spider-et-al.bsky.social for pointing me in the right direction Aelurrilus v-insignitus

A Sussex beauty! Found earlier today the elusive Pachygnatha listeri. What Stunning species. @britishspiders.bsky.social

Looked for well over a year in perfect habitat at known sites when all I had to do was wait for one to cross the path! Zelotes petrensis, Nationally Rare (though likely to change to NS?) @britishspiders.bsky.social

The theme is #rattlesnakes and here's a Blacktail Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus). I often see them in Arizona, but this one was observed near a mountain stream in the Sierra San Luis of northeastern Sonora, Mexico. Easy to see how they come by their name. #herps #snakes #NaturePhotography 🌿

The mighty Fen Raft Spider makes the shortlist for Invertebrate of the Year 2025. Really hope this incredible predator and conservation icon gets a strong vote. Voting opens this Thurs btw. @britishspiders.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/environment/...

I lived in SoCal for years before I learned we have these adorable little newts in the area. Up north they are especially toxic, locked in an evolutionary arms race with garter snakes that have enough resistance to their tetrodotoxin to prey upon them. California newt - Taricha torosa #herps

Northwestern Garter Snake. There were two of these young ones, each about 5.5 to 6 inches in length. #wildlife #photography #nature #herps #snakes #gartersnake

🐍Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) in Hartley's Crocodile Adventures. Max. size 2.5 m (8'2"), though usually smaller. Has the most toxic venom of any snake. Found in eastern central Australia. Considered Least Concern by the IUCN. 📷by David Clode on Unsplash

And out like clockwork in late March - my annual male Amaurobius ferox. Amazing palps on these guys! Stack of 18 images #spiders #arachnology #winterspiders @britishspiders.bsky.social

Posted elsewhere, any reason this isn't the nationally scarce Sand-running Spider Rhysodromus fallax, aside from the fact it would be the 1st for South Devon and the 1st in Devon for at least 45 years...? srs.britishspiders.org.uk/portal.php/p... @tylanberry.bsky.social @britishspiders.bsky.social

Cape Coral Snake (Aspidelaps lubricus), venomous. #snakesofsa #snakesofza #snakesofsouthafrica #herpingsa #herpingza #reptiles #snakes #wildlifephotography #africa #animalphotography #herps #herpingtheglobe #africawildlife #africanwildlife #southafrica #nikonphotography

A couple of Ceratinops inflatus males. I found them by sifting moss in a mature Douglas fir forest. #Linyphiidae #spider #iNaturalist

It's never a bad day when this spider is in your viewfinder Araniella displicata @britishspiders.bsky.social @bucksinvertgroup.bsky.social #spiders

Always nice to see the first Salticus of the year! #spiders #arachnology @britishspiders.bsky.social

A tale of two lynxes from April 2024 - I was chasing the Hamataliwa (top) for a photo while it kept leaping from leaf to leaf when I noticed this rather pallid Oxyopes sp. (bottom) on the neighbouring leaf. I like the framing but seem to have messed up the stack… @britishspiders.bsky.social

恭贺新禧! The year of the snake has begun 🐍 Adders like this one can be found in woodlands up and down the UK. They're our only venomous snake, but they keep themselves to themselves and are rarely a danger to humans.

And yes, that includes mammalian wolves which are not cool enough to spin silk at all