Rabbit Hutch Spider - Steatoda bipunctata

Description

It has a glossy chestnut brown abdomen, usually with a thin pale band stretching across the front that incorporates a central white 'V' just behind the head. The abdomen has four tiny indentations on its back which in the absence of an internal skeleton, serve as anchor points for internal muscles. Females grow up to 7mm and males to about 5 mm.

Identification difficulty
Recording advice

Typical specimens can be determined from good photos but some need checking. 

Habitat

Usually indoors, often in animal pens, garages, sheds etc.

When to see it

Females are to be found all year round. Males are usually only found in summer and autumn.

Life History

It feeds on anything that stumbles into its web (often woodlice). The web is just a tangle of criss-cross threads.

UK Status

Common and widespread in Britain.

VC55 Status

Common in Leicestershire and Rutland.

Further Information

2252 British records to Jan 2013

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species profile

Species group:
Spiders
Kingdom:
Animalia
Order:
Araneae
Family:
Theridiidae
Records on NatureSpot:
111
First record:
11/05/2007 (Nicholls, David)
Last record:
04/02/2025 (Philip Harper)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.

In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.

Latest images

Latest records