Resources:
Dictynidae  O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871 / Simziella  Cala-Riquelme & Alequín, 2025   4 species

Simziella major (Menge, 1869)

Description

Dorsal tibial apophysis thick and knee-shaped. Epigyne with wavy posterior margin, anterior margin not marked. Prosoma dark brown to almost black. Sternum lighter brown. Chelicerae lighter brown. Legs reddish brown, with vague darker rings. Opisthosoma grey-yellow to brown, dorsally with broad, bright band in heart region, posteriorly dark chevrons flanked by dark longitudinal stripes.

Body length male: 3.2-4.0 mm
Body length female: 3.2-4.0 mm
Additional information

on low plants, more rarely on bushes

Distribution
  Presence
  No data
Global distribution (WSC 2026): North America, Europe, Russia (Europe to Far East), Tajikistan, China
Phenology
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
 male  female
Figures
Distribution List
Belarus   (Ivanov, 2013) ||| Belgium   (Bosmans & Van Keer, 2017) ||| Bulgaria   (Blagoev et al., 2018) ||| Czechia   (Růžička & Řezáč, 2022a) ||| Denmark   (Scharff & Gudik-Sørensen, 2006; Fischer et al., 2026) ||| Estonia   (Vilbaste, 1987) ||| Finland   (Koponen et al., 2016) ||| France   (Le Peru, 2007) ||| Germany   (Blick et al., 2016) ||| Luxembourg   (Kreuels et al., 2019) ||| Netherlands   (van Helsdingen, 2025a) ||| Poland   (Rozwałka & Stanska, 2008) ||| Romania   (Weiss & Petrișor, 1999) ||| Russia, Central   (no references) ||| Russia, Eastern   (Ukhova et al., 2024) ||| Russia, Northern   (Nekhaeva, 2020) ||| Russia, Southern   (no references) ||| Russia, Western   (no references) ||| Serbia   (Deltshev et al., 2003b) ||| Sweden   (Kronestedt, 2001) ||| Ukraine   (Polchaninova & Prokopenko, 2019) ||| United Kingdom   (Lavery, 2019) |||
References

Almquist S (2007) Swedish Araneae, part 2 – families Dictynidae to Salticidae. Insect Systematics & Evolution, Supplement 63(2006): 285-601 pdf

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) 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

Bosmans R, Van Keer K (2017) Een herziene soortenlijst van de Belgische spinnen (Araneae). Nieuwsbrief van de Belgische Arachnologische Vereniging 32: 39-69 pdf

Brændegaard J (1966) Edderkopper: Eller Spindlere I Danmarks Fauna 72: 1-224 pdf

Deltshev C D, Ćurčić B P M, Blagoev GA (2003b) The spiders of Serbia. Inst. Zoology, Fac. Biology, Belgrade & Inst. Zoology, Bulg. Acad. Sci., Sofia. 832 pp.

Fischer F L, Prehn J K, Hansen A K (2026) New Danish spider records confirmed through DNA barcoding: Simziella major (Menge, 1869) and Synageles hilarulus (C. L. Koch, 1846). Entomologiske Meddelelser 92: 33-42 pdf

Heimer S, Nentwig W (1991) Spinnen Mitteleuropas. Paul Parey Berlin pdf

Helsdingen P J van (2025a) Catalogus van de Nederlandse spinnen. Versie 2025.1. 249 pp. pdf

Ivanov V V (2013) The checklist of Belarusian spiders (Arachnida, Araneae). Zoology and Ecology 4: 293-311 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

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 pdf

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

Lavery A (2019) A revised checklist of the spiders of Great Britain and Ireland. Arachnology 18: 196-212 pdf

Le Peru B (2007) Catalogue et répartition des araignées de France. Revue Arachnologique 16: 1-468 pdf

Locket G H, Millidge A F (1951) British spiders. Vol. I. Ray Society, London, 310 pp. pdf

Locket G H, Millidge A F (1953) British spiders. Vol. II. Ray Society, London, 449 pp. pdf

Loksa I (1969) Pokok I-Araneae I. Fauna Hungariae 97: 1-133 pdf

Marusik Y M (2022) On the three poorly known species of Dictyna Sundevall, 1833 (Araneae: Dictynidae) described from Armenia and Siberia. Journal of Natural History 56: 415-422 pdf

Montana K O, Cala-Riquelme F, Crews S C, Gorneau J A, Al-Jamal A M, Alequín L D, Spagna J C, Ballarin F, Esposito L A (2025) Tailor's drawer no more: a reappraisal of the spider family Dictynidae O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1871 sensu lato. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 204(zlaf007): 1-97 pdf

Nekhaeva A A (2020) On the spider fauna (Arachnida: Aranei) of the Kanin Peninsula and Kolguev Island, Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia. Arthropoda Selecta 29: 387-398 pdf

Polchaninova N, Prokopenko E (2019) An updated checklist of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Left-Bank Ukraine. Arachnologische Mitteilungen 57: 60-64 & App pdf

Roberts M J (1995) Collins Field Guide: Spiders of Britain & Northern Europe. HarperCollins, London, 383 pp. pdf

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, 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

Scharff N, Gudik-Sørensen O (2006) Katalog over Danmarks edderkopper (Araneae). Catalogue of the spiders of Denmark (Araneae). Entomologiske Meddelelser 74: 3-71 pdf

Sies D (2023) Een vondst van het noords kaardertje Dictyna major (Araneae: Dictynidae) [A record of Dictyna major (Araneae: Dictynidae)]. Nieuwsbrief SPINED 40: 19-20 pdf

Tyschchenko V P (1971) Opredelitel' paukov evropejskoj casti SSSR. Leningrad, 281 pp. pdf

Ukhova N, Esyunin S, Sozontov A (2024) Spiders (Arachnida, Araneae) of the Visimskiy Biosphere Reserve (Middle Urals): 37 years of arachnological research. Biodiversity Data Journal 12(e114930): 1-37 pdf

Versteeg R (2024a) Spinnen zoeken op de bodem [Spider search on the floor]. Nieuwsbrief SPINED 41: 10-12 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

Weiss I, Petrișor A (1999) List of the spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) from Romania. Travaux du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle “Grigore Antipa” 41: 79-107 pdf

Wiehle H (1953) Spinnentiere oder Arachnoidea (Araneae), IX. Orthognatha-Cribellata-Haplogynae, Entelegynae (Pholcidae, Zodariidae, Oxyopidae, Mimetidae, Nesticidae). Die Tierwelt Deutschlands 42: 1-150 pdf

WSC (2026) World Spider Catalog. Version 27. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch (13.2.2026) doi: 10.24436/2 pdf

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