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The Essex Naturalist
Some interesting spider records for 1996 & 1997
P.R. Harvey
32 Lodge Lane, Grays, Essex RM16 2YP.
1997 has brought one new county record for Essex, in the form of the
remarkable occurrence of Argiope bruennichi previously confined in Britain to
within a few miles of the south coast of England in Dorset, Hampshire and the
Isle of Wight, with older records for East Sussex and East Kent. This brings the
total number of species reliably recorded for the county to 419 about two thirds
of the national fauna, although I am personally doubtful about old records for
two of these species Sitticus caricis and Tegenaria saeva. There are no recent
records for eighteen species, most of which must certainly be considered extinct
in the county. Records are mine unless otherwise credited.
Family Dictynidae
The Nationally Scarce (Notable A) spider Nigma walckenaeri occurs in parks and
gardens in the home counties, and has been recorded commonly in some parts of
the Thames Estuary in Essex. In recent years it has also been found in other parts
of Essex at Colchester in the northeast, Harlow in the west and Burnham-on-
Crouch on the Dengie Peninsula. It is therefore of interest that in 1996 Ray
Ruffell recorded the spider in the centre of the county at Chelmsford and the
likelihood must be that the species remains undiscovered elsewhere in the county.
Family Zodariidae
Zodarion italicum, first recorded in Britain from Grays and Wouldhams Quarries
(Harvey & Murphy, 1985) has turned out to occur at sites all along the East
Thames Corridor, from Eastbrookend to Shoebury Old ranges. The spider
requires open habitats and thermophilic conditions and is recorded from old
sand and chalk quarries but also old grazing marsh grasslands where anthills
provide a dry sunny microhabitat as well as the ant prey. It is therefore of
considerable interest that in 1996 Ray Ruffell has taken the Zodarion at Iron
Latch Lane near Colchester and it has also been discovered in Hertfordshire this
year (Marriot, 1997). Is the ant spreading or has it been at these sites all along?
Although a very characteristic and easily recognised spider it is not easy to find,
especially when the "igloo"-like retreats are hidden in grassland. The spider
often seems to occur near railway lines, but is the spider being spread along the
railway tracks or does it occur at these sites because they happen to provide the
suitable open habitats?
Family Liocranidae
A male and female of the Nationally Scarce (Notable A) Phrurolithus minimus
was found by Ray Ruffell at Coneyfield Wood in July and August 1996. This
ant-like spider is normally associated with chalk grasslands but in Essex it has