Attulus distinguendus

Attulus distinguendus, sometimes called the distinguished jumper spider,^[1] is species of spider in the Salticidae family. Until 2017, it was placed in the genus Sitticus as Sitticus distinguendus. It inhabits Central and Western Europe, the Palaearctic region, and East Asia.

Description

The spider has four eyes (2 small ones on the sides, 2 large ones in the middle),^[2] and is only the second known species to cephalopods to have such vision.^[3] The species are gray coloured with brown dots.^[4]

Distribution

The species has a Palearctic distribution. It can be found in only two UK regions: North Kent, and South Essex. The species can also be found in countries like: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania and the Netherlands.^[5] The species have also been recorded from Japan, the city of Shanxi and the South Yakutia.^[6]

Ecology and habitat

The species prefers dry climate with a limited amount of vegetation. It lives in cement and stony clinker, and can be found in pulverised fuel ash as well. The spider feed in areas with a high salt concentration, which it finds on halophytic plants such as Salicornia.^[7]

Threat level

The species are considered to be endangered in the Czech Republic, Norway, and in Flanders, Belgium. The species gained vulnerable status in Poland. The species are almost wiped out in Serbia.^[5]

References