3
The Attractions of Spiders
The spiders are one of the most successful groups
of animals. One estimate of their diversity
gives a figure of 30,000 known species worldwide.
No-one who studies arachnids assumes that this
is anywhere near the real total. Almost every
habitat is exploited by spiders. Their adapta-
bility and sheer weight of numbers mean that
spiders are by far the most important predators of
insects and have to be taken notice of by us, even
if their presence is not always welcome.
Naturalists in this country continue to prefer the
Lepidoptera and Coleoptera to unprepossessing
and often secretive spiders. Yet there is just
as much reason to study the arachnid fauna of
an area as the large, attractive insects. Any
assessment of conservation priorities should take
into account the different habitat requirements
of as wide a range of organisms as possible.
Many spiders are quite particular about their
environment. Not surprisingly some of the more
rare species are restricted to sensitive habitats
such as bogs, sand dunes and heathland. As
invertebrate predators their role is a very
important one and they should be part of any site
study to help strengthen the case for conservation.
Our county list of spiders recorded so far is
quite a respectable one (about 200 species) due
mostly to the visits of such eminent arachnologists 
as J. E. Hull in the 1930's and 1940's, and
E. Duffey, G. H. Locket and A. F. Millidge in the
1950's. Another main source of records has been
the Flatford Mill Field Study Centre, which
members of the British Arachnological Society have
regularly used as a base from which to make
excursions over the border into north Essex sites.
One of their favourite haunts is Colne Point
Nature Reserve (owned by The Essex Naturalists'