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Pisaura mirabilis (Clercki, 1757)
Body Length: Male 10 to 13mm Female 12 to 15mm
Family: Pisauridae.
Season: May to September. (Adults are more abundant in May and June)
A widespread species and common in the South of Britain, not so common further North you go; but can be found as far North as central Scotland. Also widespread in Central Europe, Canary Islands, Madeira and as far North as Southern Norway. South down to North Africa and East to the Asian part of Russia and China
Habit: Wide variety of habitats and preferring wet and damp environments such as wet meadows, Grasslands, woodland and field edges, damp hedgerows and heathland.
The P. mirabilis prefers to hunt in low vegetation during the day and night, they are also active on warm winter days.
P. mirabilis adults will occasionally be seen on leaves warming themselves in the sun. A typical pose being the first and second pair of legs outstretched and held together at an angle.
The stripe along the back of the body possibly acts as a “crypsis” in some cases. (a protective measure by avoiding detection against predators).
The male will offer the female a “courtship gift” of a fly or other small insect just before he attempts to mate with her. The male will keep a hold on the gift throughout the mating process, just in case she will try to escape with the gift. Sometimes the female will attack the male, in his defence the male will act “dead.” Then as she drags him along, he will still hold onto the “courtship gift.” When she stops dragging him along, slowly he will continue to attempt to mate again. This is called “Thanatosis”, (pretending death) it is a ploy that increases the male’s chance of survival and a successful mating.
The female can often be seen carrying her white egg-cocoon in her chelicerae. (The pair of appendages in front of the mouth) When the eggs are about to hatch, the female will construct a tent-like web in tall vegetation, here the young will remain until they disperse.
Nursery web spiders are often parasitised by nematodes, (worm of the large phylum Nematoda, such as a roundworm or threadworm), as well as Acari (mites and ticks) These parasites infect the spider’s eggs and cocoons, which can lead to the destruction of a whole clutch of eggs. Ichneumon wasps, sphecidae wasps, Chalcid wasps. Lizards, frogs and birds are also a constant threat to the survival of the young and adult P mirabilis.
Read MoreBody Length: Male 10 to 13mm Female 12 to 15mm
Family: Pisauridae.
Season: May to September. (Adults are more abundant in May and June)
A widespread species and common in the South of Britain, not so common further North you go; but can be found as far North as central Scotland. Also widespread in Central Europe, Canary Islands, Madeira and as far North as Southern Norway. South down to North Africa and East to the Asian part of Russia and China
Habit: Wide variety of habitats and preferring wet and damp environments such as wet meadows, Grasslands, woodland and field edges, damp hedgerows and heathland.
The P. mirabilis prefers to hunt in low vegetation during the day and night, they are also active on warm winter days.
P. mirabilis adults will occasionally be seen on leaves warming themselves in the sun. A typical pose being the first and second pair of legs outstretched and held together at an angle.
The stripe along the back of the body possibly acts as a “crypsis” in some cases. (a protective measure by avoiding detection against predators).
The male will offer the female a “courtship gift” of a fly or other small insect just before he attempts to mate with her. The male will keep a hold on the gift throughout the mating process, just in case she will try to escape with the gift. Sometimes the female will attack the male, in his defence the male will act “dead.” Then as she drags him along, he will still hold onto the “courtship gift.” When she stops dragging him along, slowly he will continue to attempt to mate again. This is called “Thanatosis”, (pretending death) it is a ploy that increases the male’s chance of survival and a successful mating.
The female can often be seen carrying her white egg-cocoon in her chelicerae. (The pair of appendages in front of the mouth) When the eggs are about to hatch, the female will construct a tent-like web in tall vegetation, here the young will remain until they disperse.
Nursery web spiders are often parasitised by nematodes, (worm of the large phylum Nematoda, such as a roundworm or threadworm), as well as Acari (mites and ticks) These parasites infect the spider’s eggs and cocoons, which can lead to the destruction of a whole clutch of eggs. Ichneumon wasps, sphecidae wasps, Chalcid wasps. Lizards, frogs and birds are also a constant threat to the survival of the young and adult P mirabilis.
