| | The spider families of Britain and Ireland |
Excluding Liocranidae
Foliage Spiders.
Morphology. The adult spiders 3–10 mm long; of medium build; decidedly short-legged (mostly), or with legs of medium length (sometimes more than twice the body length in male Cheiracanthium); with eight eyes. The eyes in two horizontal rows of 4 (the posterior medians circular, by contrast with most Gnaphosiidae); all clear and glassy. The palpal organs of the male of complex structure and enclosed by the specialized, hollowed tarsal segment (the cymbium). The front legs not short and stout. Metatarsus IV of the females without a calamistrum. Scopulae present on tarsi I and II. Tarsal claws 2. The tarsi with claw tufts. The abdomen conspicuously patterned dorsally, or plain dorsally; with a single, inconspicuous tracheal spiracle. The anterior spinnerets close together (hiding the medians). The spinnerets all unsegmented, or with one pair of spinnerets 2-segmented. The abdomen of the females without a cribellum. The reproductive openings of the females associated with an epigyne.
The adults constructing a terrestrial retreat in the form of a silk tube (the retreats made on foliage and grass); actively pursuing their prey (hunting nocturnally).
Representation in Britain and Ireland. 23 species in Britain; in the genera Cheiracanthium, Clubiona, and Phrurolithus.
Comments. The total width of the eye group usually at least half the maximum width of the carapace, by contrast with Liocranidae, but Phrurolithus constitutes an exception.
Illustrations. • Clubiona terrestris. Clubiona terrestris Westring: a, female; b, male; c, palpal organs of the male. From Blackwall (1861. His C. amarantha Walck.). • Clubiona comta. Clubiona comta C.L. Koch: a, female; b, male; c, palpal organs of the male. From Blackwall (1861). • Clubiona brevipes. Clubiona brevipes Bl.: a, female; b, male; c, palpal organs of the male, from below; d, the latter in profile, from the inner side; e, extremity of the radial joint of the same palpus, from the outside. From Blackwall (1861). • Clubiona corticalis. Clubiona corticalis (Walck.):a, female; b, male; c, palpal organs of the male, from below; d, the latter viewed in profile from the inner side; e, extremity of the radial joint of the same palpus, viewed from the outside. From Blackwall (1861). • Clubiona pallidula. 77, Clubiona pallidula (Clerck): a, female; b, male; c, the male palpus, viewed from beneath. From Blackwall (1861. Called by him Clubiona epimelas Walck., which was referred by Bristowe to Clubiona holosericea Linn.). • Cheiracanthium erraticum. Cheiracanthium erraticum (Walck.): a, female; b, male; c, palpal organs of the male. From Blackwall (1861. See the next image for another form of the male). • Phrurolithus festivus (C.L. Koch), Clubonia sp.. 71, female Clubonia sp.? (= Drassus ferrugineus Bl., tentatively referred to Clubiona by Bristowe): a, maxillae, labium and palpus; b, eyes. 74, Phrurolithus festivus (C.L. Koch): a, female; b, male; c, palpal organs of the male. From Blackwall (1861). • Clubiona subtilis?. Clubiona subtilis L. Koch (?): a, female; b, male; c, palpal organs of the male. This illustration seems to have been identified with C. subtilis by Bristowe, having been labelled C. pallens by Blackwall. From Blackwall (1861). • Clubiona stagnatilis?. Blackwall's Clubiona holosericea Walck., perhaps = C. stagnatilis Kulcz. according to Bristowe. a, female; b, male; c, eyes; d, labium, maxillae and chelicerae; e, profile of cephalothorax and abdomen in side view; f, palpal organs of the male. From Blackwall (1861).
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. The spider families of Britain and Ireland. Version: 5th August 2019. delta-intkey.com’.
