Summary details for Hypomma bituberculatum (Wider, 1834)

Distribution

The species is widespread throughout most of Britain. A Palaearctic species widespread in western and central Europe.

Habitat and ecology

H. bituberculatum is generally associated with wet, swampy areas at the sides of rivers and ponds and also in wet meadows. In these situations it can withstand temporary submergence in fresh water. However, it may sometimes be swept from the field layer and has also been recorded on sand-hills. A very large population was recorded in the fore-dunes at Tentsmuir (Mackie 1971), where mature females were recorded throughout the year, gravid females from April to September, and males from May to September with the peak in numbers for all three being in June. Our data for a total of nearly 1500 adults show the vast majority of males recorded between April and June and females between April and July, but both sexes occasionally collected as early as February and as late as November, with a single female in January.

Status

Common and frequent in wet habitats, occasionally in dry places in the north. Original author of profile: D.R. Nellist 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.