Summary details for Clubiona pseudoneglecta Wunderlich, 1994

Distribution

C. pseudoneglecta has been collected in Scilly, Kent and the Channel Islands. It might be expected to be a southern coastal species in Britain. Very few of the records shown on the map for C. neglecta are likely to be referable to C. pseudoneglecta. In Europe the species has been recorded in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Romania and Greece.

Habitat and ecology

The precise habitat in Scilly is unknown, but likely to have been either coastal grassland or dunes. Specimens from Sandwich in Kent were collected on sand dunes, and those from Jersey also came from a coastal area. In Europe the spider has also been found on dunes, but also from a lightly wooded area in S. France, a dry, warm habitat in south-west Germany and dry grassland in Switzerland.

Status

C. pseudoneglecta was only relatively recently recognised as a species distinct from C. neglecta (Wunderlich 1994). It seems to be restricted to dunes in the south and is likely to remain a rare species. It is known from only one location in mainland Britain where it is at risk from leisure use of its dune habitat, the construction of coastal defences and other infrastructure development.

Threats

Sandwich Bay is now a NNR. Potential threats include damage to fragile and dune systems due to recreational pressure and holiday development.

Management and conservation

Protect dunes from excessive pressure resulting from recreational use. Text based on Dawson, I.K., Harvey, P.R., Merrett, P. & Russell-Smith, A.R. (in prep.).