Species Account for Achaearanea riparia
Achaearanea riparia (Blackwall, 1834)
Araneae: Theridiidae
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Essex RDB: Listed
Threat: Essex Vulnerable
Additional Phenology Data
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National map for Achaearanea riparia on Spider and Harvestman Recording Scheme website
Species text
The species is generally rare and very local but may be fairly numerous at some sites. It is almost confined to the south of England, East Anglia and South Wales. In Essex there are only records from only three sites in the north of the county. The spider is found among roots on overhanging banks or beneath low vegetation, mainly on heathland but also along rides in commercial forests. It spins a web with long sticky threads that are fixed to the ground, where they catch crawling insects. Ants form a large proportion of the prey caught. A retreat is built at the top of the web, which consists of a long silken tube covered with debris. References
Habitats
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Interpretation of distribution maps