Species Details
- Species name
- Mecopisthes peusi Wunderlich, 1972
- Common name
- Peus's Long-back Spider
- Synonym
- Mecopisthes pusillus (Menge, 1868)
- Taxonomy
- Animalia :: Araneae :: Linyphiidae
- short sward & bare ground
Distribution
The species is mainly confined to central southern England, Wales, Cheshire and Lancashire. It has recently been found in pitfall material from Mersehead, Dumfries and Galloway (I. Dawson, pers. comm.). A European species recorded from Ireland, France, Germany and Austria.Habitat and ecology
In the south, M. peusi occurs on dry heathland, reaching maximum densities between 5 and 10 years after fire. It lives in the thin layer of litter around the base of heather plants at the edge of patches of bare ground. In Wales, Cheshire and Lancashire, the spider is found on sand dunes and dune slacks on the coast. It is adult from October to July, but the main period of activity is from March to May.Status
UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species. All recent records are from the west coast of Wales, Northern England and South-west Scotlend, where it is scarce. The spider has previously been found to be very abundant on heathland in Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex and Surrey.Threats
Loss of heathland to agriculture, forestry and development.Management and conservation
Maintain all seral stages of heather by rotational management. This species appears to disperse fairly readily, so the size of managed area is relatively unimportant. Text based on Dawson, I.K., Harvey, P.R., Merrett, P. & Russell-Smith, A.R. (in prep.).Stats
- First recorded
- 1944
- Last recorded
- 2025
- Total records
- 263
- Total visits
- 250
Conservation status
Mecopisthes peusi
| Source | Reporting category | Designation | Date designated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scottish Biodiversity List (incorporating 2007 updates and 2012 categorisation) | Biodiversity Lists - Scotland | Scottish Biodiversity List | 01/06/2007 | Terrestrial/Freshwater Species. Added to UK BAP list in 2007. Criteria: Decline |
| 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: Loss of heathland to agriculture, forestry and development. |
| Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 - Species of Principal Importance in England (section 41) | Biodiversity Lists - England | England NERC S.41 | 01/11/2008 | |
| Environment (Wales) Act 2016 - Species of Principal Importance in Wales (section 7) | Biodiversity Lists - Wales | Env (Wales) Act S7 | 21/05/2016 | |
| UK list of Priority Habitats and Species | Biodiversity Action Plan UK list of priority species | Priority Species | 28/08/2007 | not on former UK BAP list |
Photos and media
No photos or media files available
Spatial distribution - hectad map
Click on one of the date ranges in the key to highlight that particular range. Click anywhere else on the map to go back to all three date ranges.
Thresholds:
Move mouse cursor over dot for info
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
__