Scotophaeus blackwalli

Scotophaeus blackwalli
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Subphylum:Chelicerata
Class:Arachnida
Order:Araneae
Infraorder:Araneomorphae
Family:Gnaphosidae
Genus:Scotophaeus
Species: S. blackwalli
Binomial name
Scotophaeus blackwalli
(Thorell, 1871)[1]

Scotophaeus blackwalli, also known as the mouse spider, is a species of spider belonging to the family Gnaphosidae.

This species is widespread in Britain and northern Europe.[2][3] They are commonly found in Britain around and inside houses, usually in the Autumn, and also under bark and in holes in walls in warmer parts of Europe.[3] It hunts nocturnally.[4]

The adult males of these spiders reach 9mm in length, maturing in the early summer, while females reach 12mm, and can be found until autumn.[2][3][4]

The carapace is dark brown while the abdomen is brown/grey with hairs resembling the body of a mouse, hence the common name of 'mouse spider'.[3] The legs are brown with thick pubescence.[3] The male has a small scutum on the dorsum of the abdomen.[2]

Subspecies

  • Scotophaeus blackwalli isabellinus (Simon, 1873) — Corsica, Italy, Croatia
  • Scotophaeus blackwalli politus (Simon, 1878) — France

References

  1. ↑ "Taxon details Scotophaeus blackwalli (Thorell, 1871)", World Spider Catalog, Natural History Museum Bern, retrieved 2016-04-15
  2. 1 2 3 Roberts, Michael J. (1996) Collins Field Guide - Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe, Collins, ISBN 978-0-00-219981-0, pp. 108-9
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Jones, Dick (1989) A Guide to Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe (revised edition), Hamlyn, ISBN 0-600-56710-9, p. 74
  4. 1 2 Savory, Theodore (1945) The Spiders & Allied Orders of the British Isles, Warne, p. 64


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.