On the Wildside: On the lookout for a very large spider!
One of my students at Sheffield Hallam University sent me this stunning picture of a very large, and in the UK, very rare spider. She spotted this whilst working as a volunteer surveyor at the Belmont rewilding project in north Somerset near Bristol.
This super beast is called the ‘Wasp Spider’ because of its striking yellow and black stripes. This animal is a good mimic looking rather like a common wasp which makes it obvious to predators but helps keep it safe. They are big too, females being larger than males attaining up to 2cm in body length, whilst males at about 0.5cm are much smaller and easily overlooked. They are not dangerous to humans.
Sometimes regarded as native to Britain, the first records from 1922 at Rye, East Sussex, were close to the home of a national spider expert at the time. So, it is believed that they may have collected them in Europe where it is native and released them onto the nearby heathland and for decades, they remained restricted to the south coast. They are genuinely native in southern Europe and the Mediterranean, but with climate change and warmer weather they find Britain to their liking.
Now in southern England, they are spreading north, certainly recorded in the Peak District around ten years ago. Active from April to October, they are described as occurring in the region’s grasslands, heathlands, and other open areas. These are ‘orb-web spiders’, like the common ‘Garden Spider’, but with a single zig-zag pattern of silk through the middle; although the web design varies over time and as the young spiderlings hatch out. The zigzag pattern apparently reflects ultraviolet light and so attracts pollinating insects such as flies, bees, and moths!
I’m always fascinated by species changing their distributions often in response to climate change or alterations to habitats. Many invasive species are brought by enthusiasts and that may be the case with these spectacular spiders. So, do please watch out for the big Wasp Spiders and let me know if you spot one locally!
Professor Ian D. Rotherham, researcher, writer & broadcaster on wildlife & environmental issues, is contactable on [email protected]; follow Ian’s blog (https://ianswalkonthewildside.wordpress.com/) and Twitter @IanThewildside