Uloborus plumipes Lucas, 1846
Description
Prosoma densely haired, without pronounced longitudinal stripes. Legs brown haired, annulated with white-bluish. Tibia I female: with strikingly long, black plumose hairs. Opisthosoma light brown with darker median line, densely haired, dorsally with 2 humps in anterior part, 2 white spots between them.
Body length male: 3-4 mmBody length female: 3-6 mm
Additional information
In tropics and subtropics in the Old World, in Mediterranean area in Italy and France in the open land, in Great Britain, Central and North Europe imported to greenhouses in many cases. They were thought to develop parthenogenetically in greenhouses, as it seems that only females occur, but this must be doubted because of the cryptic living of males.
Oxford (2011) showed convincingly that Uloborus plumipes is not parthenogenetic in urban populations in Europe (and probably nowhere else).
Since a few decades, this species shows some spreading tendencies within Europe. Nevertheless, it shall not be listed as alien or invasive because it is native for Europe.
Distribution
Phenology
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Figures
Pedipalp
(Meng unpupl.)
Pedipalp
(Roberts 1998)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Abdel-Ghani et al. 2023)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Abdel-Ghani et al. 2023)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Almquist 2006)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Almquist 2006)
Prosoma
(Roberts 1998)
Tibia I
(Almquist 2006)
Epigyne
(Meng unpupl.)
Epigyne
(Roberts 1998)
Epigyne
(Almquist 2006)
Vulva
(Brignoli 1979f)
Vulva
(Horak & Kropf 1999)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Abdel-Ghani et al. 2023)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Almquist 2006)
Prosoma
(Roberts 1998)
Prosoma, frontal part
(Almquist 2006)
Tibia I
(Roberts 1998)
Tibia I
(Almquist 2006)
Habitus
(Jonsson 1998)
Habitus, lateral view
(Almquist 2006)
Calamistrum
(Almquist 2006)
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
Aakra K, Hauge E (2003) Checklist of Norwegian spiders (Arachnida: Araneae), including Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Norwegian Journal of Entomology 50: 109-129 
Abdel-Ghani D M A, Hassan F M, Sallam G M E (2023) Spiders as a bio-agent factor in a mango greenhouse at Giza Governorate, Egypt. Serket 20: 26-38
Almquist S (2006) Swedish Araneae, part 1 – families Atypidae to Hahniidae (Linyphiidae excluded). Insect Systematics & Evolution, Supplement 62(2005): 1-284
Benhacene R, Adjami A, Hadjeb A, Kermiche K, Ouakid M L (2023) Bibliographic checklist of the Algerian spider fauna (Araneae). Zootaxa 5352: 301-357
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, Chatzaki M (2005) A catalogue of the spiders of Greece – a critical review of all spider species cited from Greece with their localities. Nieuwsbrief van de Belgische arachnologische Vereniging 20 (2, suppl.): 1-124
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
Bosmans R, Van Keer J, Russell-Smith A, Kronestedt T, Alderweireldt M, Bosselaers J, De Koninck H (2013) Spiders of Crete (Araneae). A catalogue of all currently known species from the Greek island of Crete. Nieuwsbrief van de Belgische Arachnologische Vereniging 28 (Suppl. 1): 1-147
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
Brignoli P M (1979f) Contribution à la connaissance des Uloboridae paléarctiques (Araneae). Revue Arachnologique 2: 275-282
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
El-Hennawy H K (2017a) A list of Egyptian spiders (revised in 2017). Serket 15: 167-183
Elkrew H, Hamza A, Ghana S, Shaibi T, Swehli A I, Elmareme H, Ahmad A (2024) Checklist of the spiders (Araneae) of Libya. Pakistan Journal of Life and Social Sciences 22: 19346-19369
Esyunin S L, Efimik V E (1996a) Catalogue of the spiders (Arachnida, Aranei) of the Urals. KMK Scientific Press, Moscow, 228 pp.
Hänggi A (2003) Nachträge zum "Katalog der schweizerischen Spinnen" - 3. Neunachweise von 1999 bis 2002 und Nachweise synanthroper Spinnen Arachnologische Mitteilungen 26: 36-54
Helsdingen P J van (2025a) Catalogus van de Nederlandse spinnen. Versie 2025.1. 249 pp.
Horak P, Kropf C (1999) Landeskundlich bedeutsame Spinnenfunde in der Steiermark (Arachnida: Aranea). Mitteilungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereines für Steiermark 129: 253-268
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
Jonsson L J (1998) Toftspindeln – en spindelart som invaderat Europas växthus [The feather-Iegged spider, Uloborus plumipes – invading European greenhouses]. Fauna och Flora 93: 119-124
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
Le Peru B (2007) Catalogue et répartition des araignées de France. Revue Arachnologique 16: 1-468
Lissner J, Jensen J-K, Hansen L J, Simonsen W, Kelduni R, Nissen K (2016b) An updated checklist of spiders (Araneae) of the Faroe Islands. Norwegian Journal of Entomology 63: 197-240
Meng (unpupl.)
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].
Moscaliuc L A (2013) Contributions to the knowledge of Romanian spider fauna. Steps towards an updated checklist. Travaux du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle “Grigore Antipa” 56: 135-142
Naumova M, Lazarov S, Deltshev C (2019a) Faunistic diversity of the spiders in Montenegro (Arachnida: Araneae). Ecologica Montenegrina 22: 50-89
Otto S (2022) Caucasian spiders. A faunistic database on the spiders of the Caucasus Ecoregion. Database version 02.2022. Internet: caucasus-spiders.info.
Oxford G (2011) Death of an urban myth - parthenogenesis in Uloborus plumipes. Newsletter of the British Arachnological Society 121: 6-8
Pfliegler W A, Schönhofer A, Niedbała W, Vella P, Sciberras A, Vella A (2017) New records of mites (Acari) and harvestmen (Opiliones) from Malta with a preliminary checklist of Maltese Arachnida. Soil Organisms 89: 85-110
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 (1998) Spinnengids. Tirion, Baarn, Netherlands, 397 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
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
Samu F, Szinetár C (1999) Bibliographic check list of the Hungarian spider fauna. Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society 11: 161-184
Scharff N, Gudik-Sørensen O (2006) Katalog over Danmarks edderkopper (Araneae). Catalogue of the spiders of Denmark (Araneae). Entomologiske Meddelelser 74: 3-71
Suvák M (2013) Invasive spider Uloborus plumipes Lucas, 1846 (Araneae: Uloboridae), new to Slovakia. Folia Faunistica Slovaca 18: 39-45
Thaler K, Knoflach B (2003) Zur Faunistik der Spinnen (Araneae) von Österreich: Orbiculariae p.p. (Araneidae, Tetragnathidae, Theridiosomatidae, Uloboridae). Linzer Biologische Beiträge 35: 613-655
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
| 10-03-2026 | Image insert | |
| 03-02-2026 | Image insert | |
| 08-06-2025 | Distribution insert | Detail |
| 31-05-2025 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 30-05-2025 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 23-04-2024 | Image insert | |
| 23-04-2024 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 09-01-2023 | Gallery image insert | |
| 21-05-2020 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 06-05-2020 | Distribution insert | Detail |
| 18-05-2018 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 18-05-2018 | Datasheet update | Detail |
| 26-10-2015 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 24-04-2015 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 15-10-2013 | Distribution update | Detail |