Metellina merianae (Scopoli, 1763)
Description
Paracymbium with large dorsal part, projecting and provided with ridges and tubercles. Epigyne with distinctly marked off trapezoid median plate. Prosoma yellowish green, with irregular black stripes, margin black. Sternum black. Chelicerae red-brown. Legs yellowish green, annulated and spotted irregularly with black. Opisthosoma greenish, brownish to almost black, dorsally with vague folium, ventrally with broad, dark median part.
Body length male: 7.5-8 mmBody length female: 7.3-12 mm
Additional information
On rocks, walls and in caves, always near creeks or at other places with high humidity.
Rare variant: with broad median stripe on the opisthosoma (see https://wiki.arages.de/images/d/d5/Metellina-merianae_EckhartDerschmidt.jpg).
Troglophile species (Mammola et al. 2018b)
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
(Loksa 1972)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Locket & Millidge 1953)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Morano 2020)
Embolus
(Locket et al. 1974)
Epigyne
(Roberts 1995)
Epigyne
(Wiehle 1931)
Epigyne
(Locket & Millidge 1953)
Epigyne
(Loksa 1972)
Epigyne
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Epigyne, posterior view
(Morano 2020)
Epigyne, ventral view
(Morano 2020)
Vulva
(Heimer & Nentwig 1991)
Vulva
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Prosoma, dorsal view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Distribution List
References
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Bosmans R. (unpubl.) Provisional list of spiders of North Africa. Database excerpt Aug. 2019
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Miasnikou (unpubl.) .
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Roberts M J (1995) Collins Field Guide: Spiders of Britain & Northern Europe. HarperCollins, London, 383 pp.
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Staudt A, Weber D, Nährig D (2013) Webspinnen (Arachnida, Araneae) aus Höhlen des Großherzogtums Luxemburg. Ferrantia 69: 115-157
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WSC (2022) World Spider Catalog. Version 23.5. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch (21.07.2022) doi: 10.24436/2