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THE WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY MAGAZINE 



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Fig. 9. R collinus adult activity 



evergreens, including yew. In 2001, when much of 

 the countryside was under access restrictions due 

 to foot and mouth disease, I visited several 

 churchyards in order to record the spiders. This 

 exercise produced several interesting records (ref. 

 Recording Wiltshire 's Biodiversity, 200 1 ) including 

 five new sites for P. collinus. In all cases the spiders 

 were beaten from yew or box. Crocker, J. and Daws, 

 J., 2001, have also noted the occurrence of P. 

 collinus in churchyards and parks in Leicestershire 

 and Rutland, which they ascribe to an expansion 

 of its range. However, in Wiltshire I suspect that 

 the examination of a previously unexplored habitat 

 has produced the recent increase in numbers. 

 Examination of further churchyards may well prove 

 productive. 



P. dispar Walckenaer, 1826 



National status: Common. Widespread, but more 

 common in the south of the country. 

 Wiltshire: Common and widespread. 



This species occurs in woodlands, more often than 

 not in shadier areas, where it can be beaten from 

 bushes and shrubs. P.dispar may be swept from the 

 undergrowth more frequently than the other 

 common species, P. aureolus and P. cespitum. It 

 can also be found in gardens and sometimes 

 wanders indoors. 



The male of this species is very distinctive, with 

 a black abdomen and black carapace with a narrow 

 white border. The female, though distinguishable 

 from the other species in the genus, is much more 

 typically marked, with a mottled pattern in shades 

 of brown. 



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Fig. 1 0. R dispar adult activity 



Fig. 11. R dispar records in Wiltshire 



P. praedatus O. P.-Cambridge, 1871 



National status: Nationally scarce, Notable B. 



Widespread. 



Wiltshire: Apparently very uncommon. 



This species has been recorded sporadically at 

 widely distributed sites in the UK, but nowhere as 

 frequently as in Essex where it appears to be an 

 almost common animal. It may be that members of 

 the Essex Spider Group, who are an active group of 

 recorders, have the right 'search image' for the 

 spider's habitat and that it is more common 

 nationally than appears. Peter Harvey, National 

 Organiser of the Spider Recording Scheme and 

 member of the Essex Spider Group, describes the 

 typical habitat, in the Provisional Atlas as: 'mature 



