Lace weaver spider, Amaurobius similis
Body size
Female to 10mm; male to 7mm.
Appearance
Distinctive, with a glossy brown carapace and legs, and a velvety abdomen with a dark anterior wedge-shaped marking surrounded by cream. The male is slimmer than the female (photo) but otherwise similar.
Habitat, range and season
On tree trunks, walls, around windows and under old pots. Europe and W Asia. Adult females all year; males from June to November.
Web
Lace-like, built around the entrance to a hole or crevice.
First recorded in the UK
1678.
Bite report
'Bit person on hand, causing painful swelling."
'Local pins and needles including on tongue, local swelling for 12 hours.'
