| A very small,
yet distinctive spider. The dark grey/blackish carapace,
coupled with a bright red abdomen, makes Ostearius
melanopygius relatively easy to identify when
examined under a hand lens and experienced recorders will
soon recognise it immediately. A cosmopolitan spider,
which is suspected of having arrived into the UK via
importation from abroad. Widespread across most southern
counties of the UK, there are several known
Nottinghamshire records. This male and female (top
photographs) were found underneath cut vegetation near
Rufford in early October 2015. |
