Xysticus kempeleni Thorell, 1872
Description
Male
Male palp with bulbus and circular tegulum with 2 slightly sclerotised folds. Tibial apophysis ventrally, slightly compact and hook-like bent, one intermediate apophysis, robust in ventral view, horn-shaped, and one retrolateral apophysis, long, bent and ending in a fine tip. Prosoma black brown to dark brown (rarely dark red-brown), contrast-rich, laterally spotted with white like the legs, dorsally with V-shaped pattern, eye field dark brown. Sternum beige, with yellowish margin, bulged and broad, longish oval to roundish or shield-shaped. Bristles dense, short, robust anteriorly, scarce medially. Chelicerae in block stripes, proximally dark brown, followed by beige or cream and distally dark brown again, frontally with short, robust spine or generally with fine soft bristles. Legs dark brown, with white, contrast-rich elements. Opisthosoma brown to dark brown, sometimes light red-brown, with slender, bright and dark longitudinal bands. Spinnerets dark brown, white margined.
Body length male: 3.6-4.7 mmFemale
Epigyne with circular, shallow epigynal groove. Vulva consisting of 2 parts: large, sac-like structures divided into compartments and 2 longish, slender, tube-shaped structures.
Body length female: 5.5-7.6 mmAdditional information
In leaf litter, on low vegetation in heathland and dry meadows, sometimes under stones, from lowland to mountains
Distribution
Phenology
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Figures
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Heimer & Nentwig 1991)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Roberts 1995)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Pesarini 2000)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Heimer & Nentwig 1991)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Breitling 2020)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Kůrka & Dolanský 2024)
Embolus, lateral view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Embolus, lateral view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Palpal tibia, retrolateral view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Epigyne
(Roberts 1995)
Epigyne
(Roberts 1995)
Epigyne
(Pesarini 2000)
Epigyne
(Jantscher 2001a)
Epigyne
(Jantscher 2001a)
Epigyne
(Jantscher 2001a)
Epigyne
(van Helsdingen et al. 2018)
Epigyne
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Epigyne
(van Helsdingen & IJland 2024)
Epigyne
(Kůrka & Dolanský 2024)
Vulva
(Heimer & Nentwig 1991)
Vulva
(Azheganova 1968)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Vulva, meso-dorsal view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Vulva, median view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Vulva
(van Helsdingen et al. 2018)
Vulva
(van Helsdingen et al. 2018)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Vulva, dorsal view
(van Helsdingen & IJland 2024)
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
Arnold K (2001) Beitrag zur Spinnenfauna (Arachnida, Araneae) des Fürstentums Liechtenstein. Berichte der Botanisch-Zoologischen Gesellschaft Liechtenstein-Sargans-Werdenberg 28: 211-244 
Azheganova N S (1968) Kratkii opredelitel' paukov (Aranei) lesnoi i lesostepnoi zony SSSR. Akademia Nauk SSSR, 149pp.
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
Branco V V, Morano E, Cardoso P (2019) An update to the Iberian spider checklist (Araneae). Zootaxa 4614: 201-254
Breitling R (2020) South European spiders from the Duffey collection in the Manchester Museum (Arachnida: Araneae). Arachnology 18: 333-362
Danışman T, Kunt K B, Özkütük R S, Coşar İ (2025a) The checklist of the spiders of Turkey. Version 2025 [last updated 01 December 2025], online at http://www.spidersofturkey.info
Demircan Aksan N, Topçu A (2022c) A preliminary checklist of the spider fauna of European Türkiye. Serket 19: 39-56
Demircan N, Topçu A (2016) First records for spider fauna of the European part of Turkey (Araneae). Serket 15: 85-91
Esyunin S L, Efimik V E (1996a) Catalogue of the spiders (Arachnida, Aranei) of the Urals. KMK Scientific Press, Moscow, 228 pp.
Gajdoš P, Svatoň J, Sloboda J (1999) Katalóg pavúkov Slovenska. Catalogue of Slovakian spiders. Ústav kr. ekol. SAV, Bratislava, 337 pp.
Grbić G, Hänggi A, Savić D (2015) New faunistic records of spiders (Arachnida, Areneae [sic]) from the Fruška Gora mountain, northern Serbia. Acta Zoologica Bulgarica 67: 479-486
Gregorič M, Kuntner M (2009) Epigean spider diversity in the classical karst. Hacquetia 8: 67-78
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.
Helsdingen P J van, IJland S (2024) Spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) from northern Greece. Nieuwsbrief SPINED 42: 2-18
Helsdingen P J van, IJland S, Komnenov M (2018) Inventory of the spiders (Araneae) of the border region of northern Greece with Albania and FYR Macedonia. Nieuwsbrief SPINED 37: 5-23
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
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
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
Kůrka A, Dolanský J (2024) Běžník Kempelenův (Xysticus kempeleni) po 17 letech v Čechách [The crab spider Xysticus kempeleni found in Bohemia after 30 years]. Pavouk 57: 4-8
Le Peru B (2007) Catalogue et répartition des araignées de France. Revue Arachnologique 16: 1-468
Løvbrekke H (unpubl.)
Maurer R, Hänggi A (1990) Katalog der schweizerischen Spinnen. Documenta Faunistica Helvetiae 12
Mikhailov K G (2013) The spiders (Arachnida: Aranei) of Russia and adjacent countries: a non-annotated checklist. Arthropoda Selecta, Supplement 3: 1-262
Milosevic B (2002) Aranea – Popis vrsta – Checklist. Hrvatsko entomološko društvo – Inventar entomofaune Hrvatske [Aranea – List of species – Checklist. Croatian Entomological Society – Inventory of Croatian entomofauna].
Nuruyeva T, Zamani A (2025) An annotated checklist of the spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Azerbaijan. Zootaxa 5680: 1-168
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Pesarini C (2000) Contributo alla conoscenza della fauna araneologica italiana (Araneae). Memorie della Società Entomologica Italiana 78: 379-393
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
Russell-Smith A, Allison R, Askins M, Blumsom W, Snazell R, Spilling C (2011) A provisional checklist and gazetteer of the spiders of Chios, Greece (Arachnida: Araneae). Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society 15: 133-167
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
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WSC (2026) World Spider Catalog. Version 27. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch (13.2.2026) doi: 10.24436/2
Updates
| 11-11-2025 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 09-11-2025 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 18-08-2025 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 16-07-2025 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 04-07-2025 | Image insert | |
| 21-01-2025 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 21-01-2025 | Image insert | |
| 11-06-2023 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 15-01-2023 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 08-08-2021 | Image insert | |
| 26-07-2020 | Image insert | |
| 18-03-2020 | Distribution insert | Detail |
| 16-05-2018 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 17-03-2018 | Image insert | |
| 07-03-2016 | Image insert |