A spider
which is seen much less frequently than it's distinctive
eggsacs, which often attract far more attention. Shaped
very much like an upside down wine glass, they are hung
from any vegetation, including the trunks and lower
branches of trees. Often, these are covered with debris
by the famale, which does help to camoflauge them. We see
this spider quite regularly during Spring evenings when
moth trapping and it is quite usual to get several
females walking across the ground sheet, whilst they hunt
nocturnally. There are several other similar species, but
at Sherwood Forest, Agroeca proxima is the most
regularly recorded. Photographed at Sherwood Forest CP in
early April 2010. |