Species Details
- Species name
- Drassyllus praeficus (L. Koch, 1866)
- Synonyms
- Drassyllus latitans, Drassyllus praefica, Zelotes praeficus (L. Koch, 1866)
- Taxonomy
- Animalia :: Araneae :: Gnaphosidae
- tall sward & scrub
Distribution
The species is restricted to southern England where it is widespread in an area of Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire, but very scattered elsewhere. It has recently been recorded from Great Orme in North Wales in 2002. It is widespread in north-western and central Europe, but has not been recorded from Ireland.Habitat and ecology
Calcareous grassland and heathland. The spider is probably most frequent on chalk grassland, under stones. It is also sometimes found on dry heathland, mostly between about 6 to 12 years after fire. Adults of both sexes are found from May to July.Status
Recorded from 19 hectads since 1992. This very local spider is never particularly numerous, but there is no evidence of decline.Threats
The loss of chalk grassland and dry heathland to agriculture. Scrubbing over of heathland and chalk grassland.Management and conservation
Maintain seral stages of heathland by rotational management, and maintain chalk grassland by traditional grazing. Text based on Dawson, I.K., Harvey, P.R., Merrett, P. & Russell-Smith, A.R. (in prep.).Stats
- First recorded
- 1889
- Last recorded
- 2024
- Total records
- 181
- Total visits
- 175
Conservation status
Drassyllus praeficus
| Source | Reporting category | Designation | Date designated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Review of the scarce and threatened spiders (Araneae) of Great Britain: Species Status No. 22 (Sep 2017) | Rare and scarce species | Nationally Scarce. Includes Red Listed taxa | 01/09/2017 | |
| A Review of the scarce and threatened spiders (Araneae) of Great Britain: Species Status No. 22 (Sep 2017) | Red listing based on 2001 IUCN guidelines | Least concern | 01/09/2017 | Threats: The loss of chalk grassland and dry heathland to agriculture. Scrubbing over of heathland and chalk grassland. |
Photos and media
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Spatial distribution - hectad map
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Thresholds:
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Rejected records are excluded from this map. Unverified records are included.
Temporal distribution - records by year
Records that span more than one year are not included in this chart.
Temporal distribution - records by week
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