Summary details for Tetragnatha extensa (Linnaeus, 1758)

Species Details

Species name: Tetragnatha extensa (Linnaeus, 1758)
Taxonomy: Animalia :: Araneae :: Tetragnathidae
habitat: acid & sedge peats

Distribution

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

Habitat and ecology

This spider spins its orb webs on grasses and other low vegetation especially in waterside and wetland habitats, both lowland and upland. As with other members of this genus, when disturbed the spider leaves its web and stretches out along a leaf with the four anterior legs pointing forwards and the four posterior legs pointing backwards. Its elongate shape, combined with this pose, enables the spider to escape detection by predators. Both sexes are mature from early to mid-summer and sometimes into the autumn.

Status

Common. Original author of profile: P. Lee 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.

Stats

First recorded: 1858
Last recorded: 2026
Total records: 10,129
Total visits: 9,943

Conservation status

Tetragnatha extensa

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)	Red listing based on 2001 IUCN guidelines	Least concern	42979

Photos and media

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.