Araniella alpica (L. Koch, 1869)
Description
Male palp with very robust median apophysis, medially with strongly protruding, wing-like structure, therefore appearing forked. Epigyne only at base completely covered by scapus, so that the lateral epigynal plates are visible. Prosoma brown. Legs brown. Opisthosoma dorso-laterally with (0) 1-2 pairs of black spots, often with a narrow bright longitudinal band on each side near median axis. Ventrally mostly with 4 strongly contoured, large bright spots that are arranged in squares within the green median area.
Body length male: 4.5-5.5 mmBody length female: 6-8 mm
Additional information
In the lower parts of conifers, in the mountains, in the North also in lowlands
Distribution
Phenology
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
 |  |
Figures
Pedipalp
(Roberts 1995)
Pedipalp
(Loksa 1972)
Pedipalp
(Locket & Millidge 1953)
Pedipalp
(Locket & Millidge 1953)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Wiehle 1931)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Wiehle 1931)
Pedipalp
(Heimer & Nentwig 1991)
Pedipalp
(Spasojevic et al. 2016)
Pedipalp in detail
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Pedipalp
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Median apophysis
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Coxa I
(Locket & Millidge 1953)
Epigyne
(Roberts 1995)
Epigyne
(Wiehle 1931)
Epigyne
(Loksa 1972)
Epigyne
(Locket & Millidge 1953)
Epigyne
(Loksa 1969)
Epigyne, posterior view
(Almquist 2005)
Epigyne, ventral view
(Spasojevic et al. 2016)
Epigyne/vulva, dorsal view
(Spasojevic et al. 2016)
Epigyne, ventral view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Epigyne, posterior view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Vulva
(Locket et al. 1974)
Vulva
(Locket et al. 1974)
Vulva, ventral view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Opisthosoma, ventral view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Coxa I
(Loksa 1972)
Opisthosoma, dorsal view
(Loksa 1972)
Opisthosoma, dorsal view
(Locket & Millidge 1953)
Distribution List
References
Aakra K, Hauge E (2003) Checklist of Norwegian spiders (Arachnida: Araneae), including Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Norwegian Journal of Entomology 50: 109-129 
Almquist S (2005) Swedish Araneae, part 1 – families Atypidae to Hahniidae (Linyphiidae excluded). Insect Systematics & Evolution, Supplement 62: 1-124
Blagoev G, Deltshev C, Lazarov S, Naumova M (2018) The spiders (Araneae) of Bulgaria. Version: August 2018. National Museum of Natural History, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Online at http://www.nmnhs.com/spiders-bulgaria/ (accessed on 10.9.2018)
Bosmans R, Van Keer J, Russell-Smith A, Hadjiconstantis M, Komnenov M, Bosselaers J, Huber S, McCowan D, Snazell R, Decae A, Zoumides C, Kielhorn K-H, Oger P (2019c) Spiders of Cyprus (Araneae). A catalogue of all currently known species from Cyprus. Newsletter of the Belgian Arachnological Society 34, Suppl. 1: 1-173
Branco V V, Morano E, Cardoso P (2019) An update to the Iberian spider checklist (Araneae). [N.B.: few records from this paper are not taken over and not commented] Zootaxa 4614: 201-254
Caporiacco L di (1932) Aracnidi raccolti in Albania dal dott. Pietro Parenzan. Atti dell'Accademia Scientifica Veneto-Trentino-Istriana (3) 23: 93-98
Cera I (2018) The checklist of Latvian spiders (Arachnida: Araneae). Environmental and Experimental Biology 16: 139-152
Danışman T, Kunt K B, Özkütük R S (2019) The checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Version 2019 [last updated 1 June 2019], online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info
Deltshev C, Vrenozi B, Blagoev G, Lazarov S (2011b) Spiders of Albania – faunistic and zoogeographical review (Arachnida: Araneae). Acta Zoologica Bulgarica 63: 125-144
Heimer S, Nentwig W (1991) Spinnen Mitteleuropas. Paul Parey Berlin
Koponen S, Fritzén N R, Pajunen T (2016) Checklist of spiders in Finland (Araneae). 6th version, December 2016, online at http://biolcoll.utu.fi/arach/checklist_of_spiders_in_Finland.htm
Kostanjšek R, Kuntner M (2015) Araneae Sloveniae: a national spider species checklist. ZooKeys 474: 1-91
Kronestedt T (2001) Checklist of Spiders (Araneae) in Sweden [Preliminary version February 2001]
Locket G H, Millidge A F (1953) British spiders. Vol. II. Ray Society, London, 449 pp.
Locket G H, Millidge A F, Merrett P (1974) British Spiders, Volume III. Ray Society, London, 315 pp.
Loksa I (1969) Pokok I-Araneae I. Fauna Hungariae 97: 1-133
Loksa I (1972) Pokok II-Araneae II. Fauna Hungariae 109: 1-112
Løvbrekke H (unpubl.)
Martynovchenko F A, Mikhailov K G (2014) Spiders (Aranei) of Teberda State Reserve: fauna and biotopic distribution. Euroasian Entomological Journal 13: 355-371
Miasnikou (unpubl.) .
Otto S (2020) Caucasian spiders. A faunistic database on the spiders of the Caucasus Ecoregion. Database version 03.2020. Internet: caucasus-spiders.info.
Pantini P, Isaia M (2019) Araneae.it: the online catalog of Italian spiders, with addenda on other arachnid orders occurring in Italy (Arachnida: Araneae, Opiliones, Palpigradi, Pseudoscorpionida, Scorpiones, Solifugae). http://araneae.it. Fragmenta Entomologica 51: 127-152
Roberts M J (1995) Collins Field Guide: Spiders of Britain & Northern Europe. HarperCollins, London, 383 pp.
Sacher P (1990) Untersuchungen über Zahl, Anordnung und taxonomischen Wert der dorso-lateralen Abdominalpunkte in der Gattung Araniella (Arachnida: Araneae). Acta Zoologica Fennica 190: 345-349
Samu F, Szinetár C (1999) Bibliographic check list of the Hungarian spider fauna. Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society 11: 161-184
Spasojevic T, Kropf C, Nentwig W, Lasut L (2016) Combining morphology, DNA sequences, and morphometrics: revising closely related species in the orb-weaving spider genus Araniella (Araneae, Araneidae). Zootaxa 4111: 448-470
Wiehle H (1931) Spinnentiere oder Arachnoidea, VI. 27: Familie Araneidae. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands 23: 47-136
WSC (2021) World Spider Catalog. Version 21.5. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch (03.01.2021) doi: 10.24436/2