Thursday 30 July 2015

Male mouse spider

As I lifted a towel from the kitchen floor, a male Mouse Spider, Scotophaeus blackwalli, ran out. He was quickly potted and had a brief session in the white bowl. These spiders are usually cooperative, and they freeze for a while when disturbed, which is enough for me. This is the time of the year when Mouse Spiders are mature and look for potential mates and I wonder if that's what this male was doing. These spiders are strongly associated to humans, and are mostly found in or around buildings, sheds and gardens, which suggests they have expanded from a more southern origin. Scotophaeus males only have slightly enlarged palps compared to other spiders, but they are still thicker than the female's, this and the very narrow abdomen of the male helps distinguish the sexes.

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