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New 2004 Barn Owl box from which 3 young were raised in 2005.

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Spiders Seen

HERTFORDSHIRE SITE RECORDS.

A Report of Arachnida (Spiders and Harvestmen) found on the reserve up to May 2005 + Additions following 15/09/2013 BioBlitz and 13/07/2014 Minibeasts BioBlitz + later dates to 2018.

Over the last few years the author has made a significant number of visits to the reserve to investigate the arachnid fauna of the site, and this culminated in 2004 when permission was granted for a limited amount of pitfall trapping to be carried out. The survey was an endeavour to generate records for the site, for Hertfordshire and eventually for the records to be submitted to the national organiser of the Spider Recording Scheme of Gt. Britain.

The main method of collecting specimens in the past has been sweeping the vegetation and beating the foliage and this has produced many records and will be continued in the future. However there are many spider species whose habitat is on the ground and pitfall trapping is a convenient method for finding these spiders many of which are only 1-2 mm in length.

The traps, which are plastic cups of the coffee dispenser variety, are inserted into the ground, in this survey 3 cups per site at approx 1 metre apart, and contain a solution of 25% Ethylene Glycol (Anti-Freeze) in water with a dash of Teepol (Washing up liquid) to reduce surface tension. These are left for periods of a week or more, then the contents are sieved out for identification and the cups replenished. In this survey the traps were installed at the end of March 2004 and serviced every week or two until they were lifted and trapping ceased on 09/11/2004.

Three sites were chosen in places where there would be little or no disturbance to the bird life of the reserve. Site A was in woodland to the left of the main path fairly close to the perimeter fence. Site B was at the western extremity of the reserve in undergrowth near to the brook and Site C was in the wild flower meadow.

A total of 37 species were identified over the trapping period and are listed in Tablet. This is a somewhat disappointing result, I would have expected more species, but my traps seemed to lose their efficiency after some weeks of use and needed replacing but suitable replacement cups could not be found the design having changed.

The complete list of species identified over the last 12 years is shown below and on Table 1 and the reserve list totals 64 species of spiders and 5 species of harvestmen. All these are reasonably common spiders, only Philodromus albidus is a Nationally notable B species and this designation may not now be justified as it turns up in lots of places in Herts. There are undoubtedly many more species to be discovered on the reserve including some very common ones, and significant areas of the reserve, particularly beyond the Shell hide, remain to be investigated. I would expect a list in excess of 100 species to be the final result and I hope to be able to continue to my search to add to the knowledge of the invertebrate fauna of the reserve.

My sincere thanks to the committee for allowing me to sample the arachnids of Maple Lodge.

Doug Marriott 25/07/2005.

Spreadsheet attached shows:-
Table 1 Complete list of species of the reserve to date.
Table 2 List of species pitfall trapped (includes date, number and gender). Table 3 List of species pitfall trapped by site.
Table 4 Species swept or beaten off vegetation.

[click here to view spreadsheet]

Maple Lodge Nature Reserve BioBlitz 2013, Araneae — Spiders

The identification of the specimens collected on the 15^th September has now been completed. Only 14 different species were identified, five of which were new to the previous list from the reserve. A large number of the specimens were immature spiderlings which were unidentifiable to species and were discarded. Fourteen species for a whole days collecting is very low but given that the previous days were predominately wet and the vegetation on the day was still very wet and so collecting methods restricted to mainly observation together with a limited amount of sweeping and beating, the low species total is understandable. The spiders collected were mainly the most common species. The most notable capture was Nuctenea umbratica, a spider with a large orb web. This species is largely nocturnal and with a flattened body secretes itself in cracks and under bark during the day. Although fairly common, its niche habitat makes its collection a pleasant surprise.

With these five new discoveries a total of 69 species has now been identified on the reserve since I started recording in 1993. Undoubtedly there are many more species, some very common, awaiting discovery on another day, but I would recommend that other collecting strategies will need to be utilised, i.e. extensive grubbing of the ground layer on hands and knees together with beating the tree vegetation and also more pitfall trapping. To do this you will need more trained volunteers and ideally arachnologists , a very scarce resource in Hertfordshire.

Doug Marriott re 15/09/2013 – BioBlitz Day.

ARACHNIDA ARANEAE (Spiders)

Maple Lodge Nature Reserve TQ 037925. All Records to 18/05/2005 with subsequent updates (in yellow) following BioBlitz 15/09/2013 and 13/07/2014 Minibeasts BioBlitz and later records.
&nb sp; &nb sp;
Theridiidae (Comb-footed Spiders)
Anelosimus vittatus	(m&f)	18/05/2005
Steatoda bipunctata	(imm)	14/08/2004
Theridion pictum	(f)	13/06/1997
Neottiura bimaculata	(m&f)	26/05/2004
Enoplognatha ovata	(m&f)	08/07/1993 & 13/07/2014
Enoplognatha thoracica	(m)	22/06/2004
Robertus lividus	(m)	09/06/2004
Phylloneta sisyphia or similar Phylloneta impressa		23/06/2017
Linyphiidae (Money Spiders)
Walckenaeria nudipalpis	(m)	13/04/2004
Walckenaeria obtusa	(t)	12/05/2004
Walckenaeria acuminata	(f)	13/04/2004
Entelecara acuminata	(f)	18/05/2005
Hylyphantes graminicola	(m)	08/07/1993 & 13/07/2014
Gongylidium rufipes	(f)	23/09/2003
Dismodicus bifrons	(m)	12/05/2004
Oedothorax fuscus	(f)	08/07/1993
Monocephalus fuscipes	(m)	13/04/2004
Gongylidiellum vivum	(f)	26/05/2004
Savignia frontalis	(f)	26/05/2004
Micrargus apertus	(m)	09/06/2004
Micrargus herbigradus	(m)	13/04/2004
Diplocephalus latifrons	(m)	26/04/2004
Erigone dentipalpis	(f)	08/07/1993
Erigone atra	(m&f)	06/07/1993
Meioneta beata	(m)	22/06/2004
Microneta viaria	(m&f)	13/04/2004
Centromerus sylvaticus	(f)	09/11/2004
Saaristoa abnormis	(m)	09/06/2004
Bathyphantes parvulus	(m)	09/06/2004
Bathyphantes gracilis	(f)	06/07/1993
Bathyphantes nigrinus	(f)	05/10/2004
Kaestneria dorsalis	(f)	18/05/2005
Diplostyla concolor	(2m)	26/04/2004
Lepthyphantes minutus	(f)	15/09/2013
Lepthyphantes tenuis	(If)	26/07/2004
Lepthyphantes zimmermanni	(m&f)	22/06/2004
Lepthyphantes flavipes	(m)	09/06/2004
Lepthyphantes ericaeus	(m&f)	26/04/2004
Lepthyphantes pallidus	(m&f)	02/05/2004

Tetragnathidae (Long-jawed Orb Web Spiders)
Tetragnatha montana	(m)	06/07/1993 & 13/07/2014
Tetragnatha extensa	(m&f)	26/05/2004
Pachygnatha clercki	(f)	13/04/2004
Pachygnatha degeeri	(m)	12/08/2004
Metellina segmentata	(m&f)	23/09/2003
Metellina mengei	(m)	15/09/2013

Lycosidae (Wolf Spiders)
Pardosa pullata	(m&f)	12/05/2004
Pardosa prativaga	(f)	12/05/2004
Pardosa amentata	(f)	26/04/2004
Alopecosa pulverulenta	(m&f)	26/04/2004
Trochosa ruricola	(m)	13/04/2004
Pirata hygrophilus	(m)	26/05/2004
Pirata latitans	(m)	09/06/2004

Agelenidae (Funnelweb Spiders)
Tegenaria gigantean	(f)	15/09/2013

Araneidae (Orb Web Spiders)
Araneus diadematus (aka Crowned Orb Weaver or Cross or Common Garden spider)	(f)	15/09/2013
Araneus quadratus (Four-spotted Orb weaver)		19/08/2016
Araniella cucurbitina (Cucumber Green Orb Spider) - id to be confirmed		05/05/2014 From photo by Andy Clark
Argiope bruennichi (Wasp Spider)		19/08/2016
Larinioides cornutus	(f)	06/07/1993
Larinioides patagiatus (Ornamental Orbweaver)		14/09/2017
Larinioides sclopetarius	(f)	14/08/2004
Nuctenea umbratica	(f)	15/09/2013
Zygiella x- notata	(f)	14/08/2004

Hahniidae (Smaller Cobweb Spiders)
Hahnia nava	(m)	26/05/2004

Dictynidae (Mesh-webbed Spiders)
Dictyna uncinata	(f)	13/06/1997

Liocraniidae (Ground Running Spiders)
Phrurolithus festivus	(m&f)	26/05/2004

Gnaphosidae (Ground Spiders)
Drassyllus pusillus	(m&f)	26/05/2004
Zelotes latreillei	(m&f)	26/04/2004
Micaria pulicaria	(f)	22/06/2004

Clubionidae (Foliage Spiders)
Clubiona reclusa	(f)	26/05/2004

Philodromidae (Running Crab Spiders)
Philodromus albidus	(m)	NB 18/05/2005
Philodromus dispar	(m)	13/06/1997
Tibellus oblongus	(f)	06/05/2004

Thomisidae (Crab Spiders)
Xysticus cristatus	(f)	26/05/2004
Misumena vatia		20/04/2019

Salticidae (Jumping Spiders)
Euophrys frontalis	(m)	26/05/2004
Marpissa Mucosa		03/08/2015
Zebra - Salticus scenicus		11/06/2016

Pisauridae (Nursery Web Spiders)
Pisaura mirabilis		13/07/2014

OPILIONES (Harvestmen)
Harvestman - Phalangium opilio		11/09/2018
Harvestman - Platybunus triangularis		17/06/2016


Nemastomatidae


Harvestman - Nemastoma bimaculatum		13/04/2004
Mitostoma chrysomelas		26/05/2004



Phalangiide
Harvestman - Paroligolophus agrestis		15/09/2013
Pholcus phalangioides - Cellar spider or Daddy Long-legs spider (aka Skull spider)		01/06/2013
Oligolophus tridens		26/07/2004
Mitopus morio		12/08/2004
Harvestman - Dicranopalpus ramosus (Fork-palped Harvestman)		15/08/2015

Leiobunidae
Harvestman - Leiobunum rotundum		12/08/2004


D.Marriott 18/05/2005 and subsequently updated (in yellow) following BioBlitz 15/09/2013 and Minibeasts BioBlitz 13/07/2014 and later new records.