Lace-weaver Spider - Amaurobius similis

Female to 12 mm; male to 8 mm. Distinctive, with a glossy brown carapace and legs and a velvety abdomen with a dark anterior wedge-shaped marking surrounded by cream. It often lives around buildings where it occupies holes in walls, fences, window frames, etc. 

This species is very similar to A. fenestralis and the two cannot reliably be distinguished by eye. If in a garden or associated with houses then it is more likely to be A. similis, however if in woodland it more likely to be A. fenestralis. However, habitats overlap so this species: "Requires examination at high magnification in good lighting, typically examination of the genitalia." Bee, L., Oxford, G., & Smith, H. (2020). Britain's Spiders: A Field Guide. Second Edition. Princeton University Press. 

Requires examination at high magnification in good lighting, typically examination of the genitalia.

Frequently seen around houses and gardens. These spiders produce a bluish coloured silk around the entrance to holes and crevices on just about every wall you look at.

Adult females all year; males from June to November.

Widespread and frequent in Britain

Common in Leicestershire and Rutland.

3,759 British records for this species to  2015.