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Notes on Essex specialities. 2: the spider
Zodarion italicum (Canestrini, 1868) (Araneae: Zodariidae)
PETER R.HARVEY
32 Lodge Lane, Grays, Essex RM16 2YP
Zodarion italicum (see Plate 3) was first recorded in Britain from Grays in 1985 (Harvey &
Murphy 1985) and subsequent fieldwork has shown the spider to be widespread in south Essex,
and the centre of distribution in Britain to be the East Thames Corridor in south Essex and north
Kent (Fig. 1). Ray Ruffell discovered the species at Stanway near Colchester in north-east Essex
and it is also now recorded from Hertfordshire, London, Middlesex and more recently (1998)
New haven in West Sussex where it was taken in pitfall traps set in shingle by Colin Plant.
Fig. 1 Distribution of Zodarion Italicum in Britain
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 16 (1999)