Zygiella atrica (C.L. Koch, 1845)
Very similar to Zygiella x-notata, but this spider has less reliance on houses, preferring to build it's web on vegetation such as Gorse. Zygiella atrica can occur in gardens, but typically inhabits more wooded sites and especially heathland. It is common across the Sherwood Forest NNR. The bright colouration of the female in the top two photographs (possibly freshly moulted) is unusual and most examples are as in the bottom two photographs.
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Nottinghamshire (VC56) distribution of Zygiella atrica
 
 
 
 
The records for the Nottinghamshire distribution map are currently provided by the following contributors - Trevor and Dilys Pendleton. Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust. Stuart Warrington. The National Trust (Clumber Park invertebrate records). Trevor and Dilys Pendleton (Sherwood Forest Invertebrate Directory 2014). Meg Skinner.

You can contribute your own records to help us gain an accurate status of this species in Nottinghamshire. Send an Excel spreadsheet of your records via the 'contact us' link at the top of the homepage.

Updated January 2022
copyright © Trevor and Dilys Pendleton (www.eakringbirds.com) . .
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