Summary details for Erigone arctica (White, 1852)

Distribution

E. arctica is widespread along much of the coastline of Britain, with scattered inland localities. A Holarctic species, recorded in north-western Europe.

Habitat and ecology

E. arctica inhabits the seashore and the shoreline of estuaries where it can be found under stones, seaweed and other shoreline detritus. In the Outer Hebrides and north-west Scotland large numbers have been taken on the machair where the vegetation is extremely short, sometimes as far as 300 m from the shoreline. Inland the species has been found in open grassy vegetation growing on saline lime beds in Cheshire and has frequently been recorded in the spaces between the clinker at sewage filter beds (Duffey 1978), as well as occurring on the shores of old gravel pits and ponds and on unvegetated shingle spits of rivers, under stones. On the coast it is sometimes to be found with Erigone longipalpis. Adults have been recorded in most months of the year, but mainly from early to mid-summer.

Status

Local, but where it does occur the species can be quite common. Original author of profile: D. Marriott Text based on Harvey, P.R., Nellist, D.R. & Telfer, M.G. (eds) 2002. Provisional atlas of British spiders (Arachnida, Araneae), Volumes 1 & 2. Huntingdon: Biological Records Centre.