Metellina mengei (Blackwall, 1869)
Description
Conductor uniformly tapering distally. Embolus relatively long. Epigyne with longish lateral parts. Vulva with 2 receptacula seminis on each side. Prosoma yellowish, often light grey with fine, black margin and Y-shaped pattern. Sternum black-brown. Chelicerae yellowish. Legs yellowish, with vague rings and spots. Opisthosoma yellowish green with pattern consisting of brown, black or reddish spots.
Body length male: 3.5-5.5 mmBody length female: 3.5-7 mm
Additional information
Mostly in forest edges and in gardens.
Frequency: Widely distributed
Distribution
Phenology
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Figures
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Roberts 1995)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Wiehle 1931)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Locket et al. 1974)
Pedipalp
(Wiehle 1931)
Pedipalp
(Loksa 1972)
Pedipalp
(Locket & Millidge 1953)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Morano 2020)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Embolus
(Heimer & Nentwig 1991)
Metatarsus I
(Locket & Millidge 1953)
Metatarsus and tarsus I, retrolateral view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Epigyne
(Roberts 1995)
Epigyne
(Wiehle 1931)
Epigyne
(Loksa 1972)
Epigyne, posterior view
(Morano 2020)
Epigyne, ventral view
(Morano 2020)
Epigyne
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Vulva
(Heimer & Nentwig 1991)
Vulva
(Locket et al. 1974)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Metatarsus
(Loksa 1972)
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 
Agnarsson I (1996) Íslenskar köngulær Fjölrit Náttúrufræðistofnunar 31: 1-175
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). Zootaxa 4614: 201-254
Cera I (2018) The checklist of Latvian spiders (Arachnida: Araneae). Environmental and Experimental Biology 16: 139-152
Deltshev C, Vrenozi B, Blagoev G, Lazarov S (2011b) Spiders of Albania – faunistic and zoogeographical review (Arachnida: Araneae). Acta Zoologica Bulgarica 63: 125-144
Dentici A (2019) Third contribution to the knowledge of Sicilian spider fauna (Arachnida Araneae). Biodiversity Journal 10: 117-120
Heimer S, Nentwig W (1991) Spinnen Mitteleuropas. Paul Parey Berlin
Ivanov V V (2013) The checklist of Belarusian spiders (Arachnida, Araneae). Zoology and Ecology 4: 293-311
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
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 (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
Marusik Y, Özkütük R S, Kunt K B (2012a) Spiders (Araneae) new to the fauna of Turkey. 10. Two new species records of Tetragnathidae. Anadolu University Journal of Science and Technology C2: 69-73
Mikhailov K G, Propistsova E A (2017) On the spiders (Arachnida: Aranei) from Armenia. Arthropoda Selecta 26: 369-371
Morano E (2020) La familia Tetragnathidae Menge, 1866 (Araneae) en el área ibero-balear. Revista Ibérica de Aracnología 37: 101-136
Otto S (2020) Caucasian spiders. A faunistic database on the spiders of the Caucasus Ecoregion. Database version 10.2020. 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). Fragmenta Entomologica 51: 127-152
Polchaninova N, Prokopenko E (2019) An updated checklist of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Left-Bank Ukraine. Arachnologische Mitteilungen 57: 60-64 & App
Roberts M J (1995) Collins Field Guide: Spiders of Britain & Northern Europe. HarperCollins, London, 383 pp.
Samu F, Szinetár C (1999) Bibliographic check list of the Hungarian spider fauna. Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society 11: 161-184
Wiehle H (1931) Spinnentiere oder Arachnoidea, VI. 27: Familie Araneidae. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands 23: 47-136
WSC (2022) World Spider Catalog. Version 23.0. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch (21.01.2022) doi: 10.24436/2
Updates
| 04-03-2021 | Image insert | |
| 26-01-2021 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 05-01-2021 | Image insert | |
| 14-05-2020 | Distribution insert | Detail |
| 21-06-2019 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 14-12-2017 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 10-01-2017 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 04-12-2013 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 15-04-2013 | Distribution update | Detail |