Scotophaeus blackwalli | |
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Scientific classification
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Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
Family: | Gnaphosidae |
Genus: | Scotophaeus |
Species: | S. blackwalli
|
Binomial name | |
Scotophaeus blackwalli (Thorell, 1871)
[1]
|
Scotophaeus blackwalli, also known as the mouse spider, is a species of spider belonging to the family Gnaphosidae.
It is a ground spider and does not create webs. Instead it hunts for insects and other spiders at night and uses its enlarged spinnerets to produce a sticky silk to subdue its prey. It is also an opportunistic scavenger.
Females also use their silk to build protective nests for their eggs. [2]
The adult males of these spiders reach 9mm in length, maturing in the early summer, while females reach 12mm, and can be found until autumn. [3] [4] [5]
The carapace is dark brown while the abdomen is brown/grey with hairs resembling the body of a mouse, hence the common name of 'mouse spider'. [4] The legs are brown with thick pubescence. [4] The male has a small scutum on the dorsum of the abdomen. [3]
Scotophaeus blackwalli is native to Europe, the Caucasus, Turkey and Iran. It has been introduced to North America, Peru, and Hawaii. [1] It is commonly found around and inside houses in Britain, usually in the Autumn, and also under bark and in holes in walls in warmer parts of Europe. [4] It hunts nocturnally. [5]
Scotophaeus blackwalli | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Scientific classification
![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
Class: | Arachnida |
Order: | Araneae |
Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
Family: | Gnaphosidae |
Genus: | Scotophaeus |
Species: | S. blackwalli
|
Binomial name | |
Scotophaeus blackwalli (Thorell, 1871)
[1]
|
Scotophaeus blackwalli, also known as the mouse spider, is a species of spider belonging to the family Gnaphosidae.
It is a ground spider and does not create webs. Instead it hunts for insects and other spiders at night and uses its enlarged spinnerets to produce a sticky silk to subdue its prey. It is also an opportunistic scavenger.
Females also use their silk to build protective nests for their eggs. [2]
The adult males of these spiders reach 9mm in length, maturing in the early summer, while females reach 12mm, and can be found until autumn. [3] [4] [5]
The carapace is dark brown while the abdomen is brown/grey with hairs resembling the body of a mouse, hence the common name of 'mouse spider'. [4] The legs are brown with thick pubescence. [4] The male has a small scutum on the dorsum of the abdomen. [3]
Scotophaeus blackwalli is native to Europe, the Caucasus, Turkey and Iran. It has been introduced to North America, Peru, and Hawaii. [1] It is commonly found around and inside houses in Britain, usually in the Autumn, and also under bark and in holes in walls in warmer parts of Europe. [4] It hunts nocturnally. [5]