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THE WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY MAGAZINE 



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CD 



tz 



_L I 1 



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■ Males 

 m Females 



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J F M A M J J A S N D 

 Month 



Fig. 2. P. albidus adult activity 



Fig. 3. Records for P. albidus in Wiltshire, (solid symbols, 

 post (and including) 1980; open symbols, pre 1980; 

 diamonds - immatures) 



Wiltshire: Common and widespread. 



P.albidus may be undergoing an increase in 

 numbers and perhaps range. In the past it was 

 usually only found as single specimens. However, 

 in recent years several specimens have been found 

 together; and on one site it was the most common 

 Philodromid recorded! As with the more common 

 species, it can be beaten from a range of shrubs 

 and trees (hawthorn, box, holly, oak, beech hedges, 

 etc.) but may require less disturbed habitats than 

 them. For example, I have never found this species 

 in gardens, though it does occur in churchyards. 



Only in 1989 was it established that P. albidus 

 occurred in Britain (Segers, H., 1989) rather than 



the very similar P. rufus Walckenaer, 1926. P. rufus 

 is yet to be recorded in the UK and was recently 

 struck off the UK list (Merrett, P. and Murphy, 

 J. A., 2000). P.albidus is identifiable when 

 immature, if it is assumed that P. rufus is not 

 present. However, as there is the possibility of P. 

 rufus occurring, records for immatures are indicated 

 by a different symbol on the map. (The pre-1980 

 record in the map, made by R. B. Coleman in 

 Grovely Wood, has been plotted as P. albidus, 

 though not confirmed as such.) 



The map suggests that P. albidus occurs more 

 frequently on clay soils rather than chalk and 

 limestone downs (the underlying chalk and 

 limestone are indicated with hatched lines in the 

 maps). This may be the case but it may also be 

 recording bias as more recording has been carried 

 out in this area since the apparent increase in P. 

 albidus numbers. 



P. aureolus (Clerck, 1757) 



National status: Common. Widespread. 

 Wiltshire: Common and widespread. The relative 

 lack of records in the very south of the county is 

 due to under-recording rather than absence of this 

 species. 



Beaten from foliage of shrubs in woodland edges 

 and rides, hedges or scrub, this spider can be found 

 in gardens and even wanders indoors. The male 

 often has a purplish metallic sheen to its carapace 

 and abdomen. However, this is not a constant 



Fig. 4. Records for P. aureolus in Wiltshire 



