Antistea elegans explained

Anitistea elegans, the marsh combtail,[1] is a species of dwarf sheet web spider in the family Hahniidae which has a Palearctic distribution.[2]

Description

Antistea elegans are small spiders the males have a body length of 2.3-2.6mm, the females 2.5-4.3mm. Their most obvious feature is the arrangement of their spinners in a transverse row.[3] The prosoma is yellow-brown to reddish yellow, with dark spots while the opisthosoma is dark grey-brown with brighter patches.[4]

Biology

Antistea elegans constructs small sheet webs over depressions in wetland soil, normally underneath plants. The adults have been found mainly in late summer and autumn, although females have been recorded throughout the year.[5]

Habitat

In Great Britain Antistea elegans has been recorded from fens, marshes, upland blanket bogs, lowland raised bogs, seeps and woodland pool-sides. Specimens have been recorded from wet Sphagnum in Snowdonia National Park at 470m.[5] It has been recorded from similar wetland habitats in Germany.

Distribution

Antistea elegans has a Palearctic distribution.[2] It is widespread in Great Britain[5] and Europe[6] as farwest as Ireland, south to Tunisia and east to Japan.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Antistea elegans . 1 October 2016 . Stefan Sollfors.
  2. Web site: Antistea elegans (Blackwall, 1841) . 1 October 2016 . Natural History Museum Bern . World Spider Catalog.
  3. Web site: Spider of the Month - September . 1 October 2016 . Professor Dave Curtis.
  4. Web site: Antistea elegans (Blackwall 1841) . 1 October 2016 . Nentwig W, Blick T, Gloor D, Hänggi A, Kropf C: Spiders of Europe. www.araneae.unibe.ch..
  5. Web site: Summary for Antistea elegans (Araneae) . 1 October 2016 . British Arachnological Society.
  6. Web site: Antistea elegans (BLACK WALL, 1841) . 1 October 2016 . www.natur-in-nrw.de .
  7. Web site: Antistea elegans . 1 October 2016 . British Arachnological Society.