Linyphiidae  Blackwall, 1859 / Bolephthyphantes  Strand, 1901   2 species

Bolephthyphantes index (Thorell, 1856)

Description

Cymbium with hump on base. Paracymbium with broad, robust process on the terminal part. Epigyne with broad process of anterior epigynal plate, posteriorly with 2 lobes. Prosoma yellow-brown, with dark median band and margin. Sternum yellowish grey-brown. Chelicerae light yellow. Legs yellow-brown. Opisthosoma dark grey, dorsally with numerous white spots, sometimes with vague dark pattern.

Body length male: 2.3-3.0 mm
Body length female: 2.3-3.4 mm
Additional information

on tree roots, in crevices in the mountains

Character states from linyphiid key
Distribution
  Presence
  No data
Global distribution (WSC 2026): Greenland, Europe, Russia (Europe to Far East), Kazakhstan
Phenology
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
 male  female
Figures
Distribution List
Austria   (Thaler, 1995) ||| Czechia   (Růžička & Řezáč, 2022a) ||| Estonia   (Vilbaste, 1987) ||| Finland   (Koponen et al., 2016) ||| France   (Miquet et al., 2022) ||| Germany   (Blick et al., 2016) ||| Iceland   (Agnarsson, 1996) ||| Italy   (Isaia et al., 2025) ||| North Macedonia   (Komnenov, 2017) ||| Norway   (Aakra & Hauge, 2003) ||| Poland   (Rozwałka & Stanska, 2008) ||| Romania   (Urák & Fetykó, 2006) ||| Russia, Central   (no references) ||| Russia, Eastern   (Esyunin & Efimik, 1996a) ||| Russia, Northern   (Koponen et al., 1998) ||| Russia, Western   (no references) ||| Spain   (Branco et al., 2019) ||| Sweden   (Kronestedt, 2001) ||| Switzerland   (Maurer & Hänggi, 1990) |||
References

Aakra K, Hauge E (2003) Checklist of Norwegian spiders (Arachnida: Araneae), including Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Norwegian Journal of Entomology 50: 109-129 pdf

Agnarsson I (1996) Íslenskar köngulær Fjölrit Náttúrufræðistofnunar 31: 1-175 pdf

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 pdf

Branco V V, Morano E, Cardoso P (2019) An update to the Iberian spider checklist (Araneae). Zootaxa 4614: 201-254 pdf

Esyunin S L, Efimik V E (1996a) Catalogue of the spiders (Arachnida, Aranei) of the Urals. KMK Scientific Press, Moscow, 228 pp. pdf

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 pdf

Komnenov M (2017) New data on spider fauna (Araneae) of Shar Mountain, north-western Macedonia. Proceedings of the 5th Congress of the Ecologists of Macedonia, with international participation (Ohrid, 19th-22nd October 2016). Special issues of the Macedonian Ecological Society 13: 44-61 pdf

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 pdf

Koponen S, Marusik Y M, Tanasevitch A V (1998) New data on the spider fauna of the Polar Urals (Aranei). Arthropoda Selecta 6: 109-119 pdf

Kronestedt T (2001) Checklist of Spiders (Araneae) in Sweden [Preliminary version February 2001] pdf

Løvbrekke H (unpubl.)

Maurer R, Hänggi A (1990) Katalog der schweizerischen Spinnen. Documenta Faunistica Helvetiae 12 pdf

Miquet A, Oger P, Déjean S (2022) Bolephthyphantes caucasicus (Tanasevitch, 1990), nouvelle espèce pour la France découverte dans les Alpes et les Pyrénées (Araneae, Linyphiidae). Revue Arachnologique (2) 9: 26-29 pdf

Morka G H (unpubl.)

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 pdf

Růžička V (2000) Spiders (Araneae) of two valleys in the Krkonose Mts. (Czech Republic). Ekológia (Bratislava) 19, Suppl. 3: 235-244 pdf

Růžička V, Řezáč M (2022a) Seznam pavouků České republiky. List of spiders of the Czech Republic. Online at https://www.arachnology.cz/seznam-pavouku-cr-26.html and https://www.arachnology.cz/en/seznam-pavouku-cr-26.html pdf

Thaler K (1995) Beiträge zur Spinnenfauna von Nordtirol - 5. Linyphiidae 1: Linyphiinae (sensu Wiehle) (Arachnida: Araneida). Berichte des Naturwissenschaftlich-Medizinischen Vereins in Innsbruck 82: 153-190 pdf

Urák I, Fetykó K (2006) Arachnological studies in the Retezat National Park (Romania). Transylvanian Review of Systematical and Ecological Research 3: 79-88 pdf

Vilbaste A (1987) Eesti Ämblikud (Aranei). Annoteeritud nimestik. Estonian spiders (Aranei). An annotated check list. Valgus, Tallinn. 113 pp. & 512 maps on 67 unpag. pages pdf

Wiehle H (1956) Spinnentiere oder Arachnoidea, X. 28: Familie Linyphiidae-Baldachinspinnen. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands 44: 1-337 pdf

WSC (2026) World Spider Catalog. Version 27. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch (20.5.2026) doi: 10.24436/2 pdf

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