Some interesting spider records for 1999-2000
2000. The question of whether the species has been transported to its new home or is more widespread
in the Colchester area is discussed in Ruffell (2001).
Fig. 1. Weathered PFA 'dune' at the now destroyed Barking PFA lagoons © PR. Harvey
Textrix denticulata is a nationally widespread agelenid spider that appears to be extremely rare in
the south-east. In Essex it had not been recorded since early last century, until the author collected a
single male between 13 and 27 July 1999 at Temple Mills (TQ3786), a former railway marshalling
yard, in open stony habitat. Elsewhere the spider is usually found amongst stones and on warm dry
ground, and the investigation of abandoned railway lines may provide further records of this species
in the south-east.
Nesticus cellulanus is a spider that occurs in dark habitats, indoors and outside, such as cellars,
caves, drains, sewers and dark damp spots in woodland (Roberts 1995). For many years it has been
known in Essex only from a single female collected by Roger Payne on 21 July 1985 at Thorndon
Park South from the inside of a hollow stump of an ancient oak. Now Jonty Denton has found the
spider to be abundant during 1998 under manhole covers at an abandoned site in the south-west of
the county (TQ4394).
The Red Data Book spider Theridion pinastri (RDBK, Insufficiently Known), is known from few
British specimens. It has been recorded in the Epping Forest area from Leyton Flats and Lippitts
Hill (Carr & Harvey 1996) and now one male has been taken during 1999 in a malaise trap being run
at the Warren Monument Field (TQ4095) as part of the Forest Insect Survey. Also previously recorded
from Curtismill Green in 1995, the author collected a further female south of the previous location
on 6 July 1999 from a large oak at the side of a green lane towards Navestock Common (TQ5295).
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Essex Naturalist (New Series) 18 (2001)