Walckenaeria antica

Description

Males 1.75 to 2.3 mm, females 2.0 to 2.6 mm. Prosoma red-brown to dark brown, radial stripes and margin darker. Legs red-orange with dark tibia. Opisthosoma grey-black.

Similar Species

Walckenaeria alticeps.

Identification difficulty
ID checklist (your specimen should have all of these features)
  • Tibial spines: 2-2-1-1;
  • TmIV: yes;
  • TmI: 0.50-0.55.     
Recording advice

Identification of this species requires microscopic examination of the genitalia of mature specimens.

Habitat

W. antica appears to prefer sites exposed to the sun in open places or dry woodland litter, whereas W. alticeps prefers moist litter or shaded sphagnum bogs. However, W. antica, being more eurytopic than W. alticeps, can utilise the wetter habitats more usually associated with the latter species if it is absent.

When to see it

All year. 

Life History

It is a common aeronaut.

UK Status

Widespread in Britain.

VC55 Status

Fairly common in Leicestershire and Rutland.

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:
Linyphiidae
Records on NatureSpot:
10
First record:
03/06/1992 (Jon Daws)
Last record:
07/05/2021 (Cann, Alan)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

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