Xysticus erraticus (Blackwall, 1834)
Description
Male
Male palp with robust lateral tegular apophysis, passing horizontally, directed prolaterally. Median tegular apophysis small, with short shaft. Tibial apophysis lies ventrally in the middle and is broad basally, but narrows toward the tip, pointing toward apical and retrolateral direction respectively. The second apophysis originates retrolaterally. It is broad, robust and has a cone-shaped process. Embolus with knob-like thickened tip. Prosoma sandy to brown, with vague median stripe and 2 broad lateral stripes, eye region bright with distinct black-blue and white background of eyes. Chelicerae brown, and beige patterned, with one robust spine on each chelicera. Legs sandy, to brown. Femur and patella I-II dark brown, red-brown or brown-black. Opisthosoma very bright (almost white sometimes) with dark brown-black spots. Males: dark brown-black, with cream-coloured pattern.
Body length male: 4.0-5.0 mmFemale
Epigyne with characteristic hood-shaped anterior part, lateral parts arranged semicircularly, often plugged with dark glandular secretion. Vulva elongated with detached receptacula.
Body length female: 6.0-8.0 mmAdditional information
In low vegetation, often under stones or in heathland and semi-dry meadows, occurring from lowland to mountain region
Distribution
Phenology
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Figures
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Brændegaard 1966)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Roberts 1995)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Locket & Millidge 1951)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Heimer & Nentwig 1991)
Pedipalp, retroventral view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Tip of embolus, ventral view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Palpal tibia, retrolateral view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Prosoma, dorsal view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Epigyne
(Roberts 1995)
Epigyne
(Brændegaard 1966)
Epigyne
(Locket & Millidge 1951)
Epigyne
(Jantscher 2001a)
Epigyne
(Jantscher 2001a)
Epigyne
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Vulva
(Heimer & Nentwig 1991)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Vulva
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Distribution List
"No references" does not mean that the species does not occur in this country, but that we have not yet inserted the reference for it. We are working on it.
References
Aakra K, Hauge E (2003) Checklist of Norwegian spiders (Arachnida: Araneae), including Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Norwegian Journal of Entomology 50: 109-129 
Arnold K (2001) Beitrag zur Spinnenfauna (Arachnida, Araneae) des Fürstentums Liechtenstein. Berichte der Botanisch-Zoologischen Gesellschaft Liechtenstein-Sargans-Werdenberg 28: 211-244
Biteniekytė M, Rėlys V (2012) The checklist of Lithuanian spiders (Arachnida: Araneae). Biologija 57: 148-158
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)
Blick T, Finch O-D, Harms K H, Kiechle J, Kielhorn K-H , Kreuels M, Malten A, Martin D, Muster C, Nährig D, Platen R, Rödel I, Scheidler M, Staudt A, Stumpf H, Tolke D (2016) Rote Liste und Gesamtartenliste der Spinnen (Arachnida: Araneae) Deutschlands. 3. Fassung, Stand April 2008, einzelne Änderungen und Nachträge bis August 2015. Naturschutz und Biologische Vielfalt 70/4: 383-510
Bosmans R, Van Keer K (2017) Een herziene soortenlijst van de Belgische spinnen (Araneae). Nieuwsbrief van de Belgische Arachnologische Vereniging 32: 39-69
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Brændegaard J (1966) Edderkopper: Eller Spindlere I Danmarks Fauna 72: 1-224
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, Coşar İ (2025a) The checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Version 2025 [last updated 22 July 2025], online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info
Gajdoš P, Svatoň J, Sloboda J (1999) Katalóg pavúkov Slovenska. Catalogue of Slovakian spiders. Ústav kr. ekol. SAV, Bratislava, 337 pp.
Grapci-Kotori L, Geci D, Naumova M, Ibrahimi H, Bilalli A, Musliu M, Gashi A, Kasumaj E (2022) Spiders from Sharr Mountain – new faunistic data (Arachnida: Araneae). Natura Croatica 31: 335-350
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Heimer S, Nentwig W (1991) Spinnen Mitteleuropas. Paul Parey Berlin
Helsdingen P J van (2025a) Catalogus van de Nederlandse spinnen. Versie 2025.1. 249 pp.
Hermann E (1998) Die Spinnen (Araneae) ausgewählter Halbtrockenrasen im Osten Luxemburgs. Bulletin de la Société des naturalistes Luxembourgeois 99: 189-199
Isaia M, Tolve M, Pantini P (2025) Araneae.it: 2.0: the new updated version of the digital catalog of the Italian spiders and other arachnids (Arachnida: Araneae, Opiliones, Scorpiones, Pseudoscorpiones, Palpigradi, Solifugae). Fragmenta Entomologica 57: 197-204
Ivanov V V (2013) The checklist of Belarusian spiders (Arachnida, Araneae). Zoology and Ecology 4: 293-311
Jantscher E (2001a) Revision der Krabbenspinnengattung Xysticus C.L. Koch, 1835 (Araneae, Thomisidae) in Zentraleuropa. Dissertation, Univ. Graz, 328 pp., 81 pls.
Komnenov M (2014) Spider fauna of the Osogovo Mt. Range, Northeastern Macedonia. Fauna Balkana 2: 1-267
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
Kreuels M, Staudt A, Christian S (2019) Die Spinnenfauna von Luxemburg – eine Zusammenstellung der Nachweise aus den Jahren 1906-2018 (Arachnida: Araneae). Bulletin de la Société des naturalistes luxembourgeois 121: 203-230
Kronestedt T (2001) Checklist of Spiders (Araneae) in Sweden [Preliminary version February 2001]
Lavery A (2019) A revised checklist of the spiders of Great Britain and Ireland. Arachnology 18: 196-212
Le Peru B (2007) Catalogue et répartition des araignées de France. Revue Arachnologique 16: 1-468
Locket G H, Millidge A F (1951) British spiders. Vol. I. Ray Society, London, 310 pp.
Løvbrekke H (unpubl.)
Maurer R, Hänggi A (1990) Katalog der schweizerischen Spinnen. Documenta Faunistica Helvetiae 12
Nuruyeva T, Zamani A (2025) An annotated checklist of the spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Azerbaijan. Zootaxa 5680: 1-168
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Ponomarev A V (2022) Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of the southeast of the Russian Plain: catalogue, the fauna specific features. SSC RAS Publishers, Rostov-on-Don, 640 pp.
Roberts M J (1995) Collins Field Guide: Spiders of Britain & Northern Europe. HarperCollins, London, 383 pp.
Rozwałka R, Stanska M (2008) Check-list of spiders (Araneae) of Poland. 1. December 2008. online at http://www.arachnologia.edu.pl/en/species/8-spiders-of-poland.html
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Updates
| 11-11-2025 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 11-08-2024 | Distribution insert | Detail |
| 18-03-2020 | Distribution insert | Detail |
| 28-06-2019 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 02-10-2018 | Image insert | |
| 12-07-2018 | Image insert | |
| 20-06-2016 | Image insert | |
| 21-10-2015 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 25-06-2013 | Distribution update | Detail |