Poecilochroa variana (C. L. Koch, 1839)
Description
Tibial apophysis long. Embolus twisted. Epigyne flat, hardly sclerotised. Prosoma yellow-brownish, eye region darker. Sternum dark margined. Labium darker than prosoma. Chelicerae darker than prosoma. Opisthosoma dorsally in anterior half with white transverse band and a pair of spots, a white, broken band and above spinnerets an unpaired spot, remaining colouration yellow-brownish. Male: with scuticula.
Body length male: 4.3-6.5 mmBody length female: 5.2-6.5 mm
Additional information
in dry and sun exposed habitats, on sandy or rocky ground, active in the daytime
Distribution
Phenology
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Figures
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Miller 1971)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Azheganova 1968)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Roberts 1995)
Pedipalp, prolateral view
(Grimm 1985)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Grimm 1985)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Grimm 1985)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Almquist 2007)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Almquist 2007)
Bulbus, dorsal view
(Coşar et al. 2024a)
Bulbus, ventral view
(Coşar et al. 2024a)
Bulbus, ventro-prolateral view
(Coşar et al. 2024a)
Palpal tibia, retrolateral view
(Coşar et al. 2024a)
Habitus, dorsal view
(Coşar et al. 2024a)
Epigyne
(Roberts 1995)
Epigyne
(Grimm 1985)
Epigyne
(Almquist 2007)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Tullgren 1946)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Grimm 1985)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Almquist 2007)
Chelicera, retrolateral view
(Almquist 2007)
Opisthosoma, dorsal view
(Grimm 1985)
Opisthosoma, lateral view
(Grimm 1985)
Opisthosoma, ventral view
(Grimm 1985)
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 
Almquist S (2007) Swedish Araneae, part 2 – families Dictynidae to Salticidae. Insect Systematics & Evolution, Supplement 63(2006): 285-601
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, 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 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
Cera I (2018) The checklist of Latvian spiders (Arachnida: Araneae). Environmental and Experimental Biology 16: 139-152
Coşar İ, Danışman T, Marusik Y M (2024a) Two new species belonging to Coreodrassus and Poecilochroa (Aranei: Gnaphosidae) from Anatolia with comments on taxonomy of both genera. Arthropoda Selecta 33: 112-124
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
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, Krnjajić S (2021) Spiders (Araneae) of Subotica Sandland (Serbia): additional arguments in environmental protection. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 67: 15-61
Gregorič M, Kuntner M (2009) Epigean spider diversity in the classical karst. Hacquetia 8: 67-78
Grimm U (1985) Die Gnaphosidae Mitteleuropas (Arachnida, Araneae). Abhandlungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins in Hamburg (NF) 26: 1-318
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
Komnenov M (2020b) First data on the spider fauna (Araneae) of Maleshevski Mountains in the Republic of Macedonia. Bulletin of the Biology Students' Research Society 5: 33-43
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
Kronestedt T (2001) Checklist of Spiders (Araneae) in Sweden [Preliminary version February 2001]
Le Peru B (2007) Catalogue et répartition des araignées de France. Revue Arachnologique 16: 1-468
Maurer R, Hänggi A (1990) Katalog der schweizerischen Spinnen. Documenta Faunistica Helvetiae 12
Miller F (1971) Pavouci-Araneida. Klíč zvířeny ČSSR 4: 51-306
Nuruyeva T, Zamani A (2025) An annotated checklist of the spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Azerbaijan. Zootaxa 5680: 1-168
Otto S (2022) Caucasian spiders. A faunistic database on the spiders of the Caucasus Ecoregion. Database version 02.2022. Internet: caucasus-spiders.info.
Polchaninova N, Prokopenko E (2019) An updated checklist of spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Left-Bank Ukraine. Arachnologische Mitteilungen 57: 60-64 & App
Ponomarev A V (2022) Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of the southeast of the Russian Plain: catalogue, the fauna specific features. SSC RAS Publishers, Rostov-on-Don, 640 pp.
Ponomarev A V, Komarov Y E (2015) Spiders (Aranei) of the Republic of South Ossetia. The South of Russia: Ecology, Development 10(1): 116-147
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
Samu F, Szinetár C (1999) Bibliographic check list of the Hungarian spider fauna. Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society 11: 161-184
Tullgren A (1946) Svensk spindelfauna. 3. Egentiliga spinddlar. Araneae Fam 5-7. Clubionidae, Zoridae och Gnaphosidae. Stockholm (Entomol Fören.): 141 pp.
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
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
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
| 17-12-2025 | Image insert | |
| 19-08-2025 | Distribution insert | Detail |
| 10-08-2025 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 29-04-2025 | Image insert | |
| 10-04-2024 | Image insert | |
| 20-12-2023 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 20-09-2023 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 20-09-2023 | Distribution insert | Detail |
| 15-01-2023 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 03-11-2020 | Distribution update | Detail |