Yesterday I tried unsuccessfully to remove a dead Agave from its pot. The dried, brown rosette of leaves made a great winter refuge for many bugs. I have already talked about the hibernating ladybirds that spent the winter in it but yesterday a clutter of spiders (apparently that is the group name!) and some woodlice started to disperse in all directions once disturbed. I knew there was a sac spider living there, but I hadn't managed to get a shot. It is
Clubiona corticalis (above), distinguished by its characteristic abdominal pattern. The second spider,
Stemonyphantes lineatus, I had never seen before, and its abdomen is pinkish with fine lines and spots. I wasn't expecting to identify them by just browsing the illustrations at a couple of spider guides. I own The Country Life Guide of Spiders of Britain and Northen Europe by Dick Jones and the Collins Field Guide Spiders by Michael Roberts. I double checked it in one of my favourite spider websites
eurospiders, with brilliant macro shots. The third spider is the
Amaurobius male living in my mop with a true clutter of
Dysdera.
Stemonyphantes lineatus
A male Amaurobius similis
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