Xysticus luctator L. Koch, 1870
Description
Male
Male palp dark brown. Median bulbal apophysis with 2 tips arranged rectangularly. Tibial apophysis bipartite, massive ventral and inconspicuous retrolateral apophysis. Male: black-brown, eye field bright, 2 dark brown moon-like spots (sometimes 2 additional bright ones) on posterior margin of prosoma. Sternum longish oval to shield-shaped, brown to light brown with cream spots. Chelicerae brown with bright transverse band and one longer spine (female frontally many short spines). Legs dark brown, contrast-rich with white spots on junction femur/patella, distal leg segments brighter. Females overall with inconspicuous, bright legs. Metatarsus I and II and tibia with strikingly high number of spines. Opisthosoma female: beige, without pattern. Males: brown to dark brown, with thin cream margin and white, interrupted transverse bands in posterior third.
Body length male: 5.9-8.4 mmFemale
Epigyne with wide-oval epigynal groove, with broad, protruding septum. Vulva with anterior part consisting of 2 funnel-shaped, very dark parts, broadened posteriorly. Prosoma strongly bulged, round. Female: light beige to sandy-brown without distinct pattern, but with 2 dark moon-like spots on posterior margin of prosoma.
Body length female: 7.0-13.0 mmAdditional information
from lowland to mountainous level, in habitats with poor vegetation
Distribution
Phenology
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Figures
Pedipalp
(Brændegaard 1966)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Heimer & Nentwig 1991)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Locket & Millidge 1951)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Pedipalp
(Heimer & Nentwig 1991)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Pedipalp, ventral view
(Vogels & Hiddes 2023)
Epigyne
(Heimer & Nentwig 1991)
Epigyne
(Brændegaard 1966)
Epigyne
(Jantscher 2001a)
Epigyne
(Jantscher 2001a)
Epigyne
(Locket et al. 1974)
Epigyne
(Aakra et al. 2016)
Epigyne
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Epigyne
(Morka unpubl.)
Epigyne
(Vogels & Hiddes 2023)
Vulva
(Heimer & Nentwig 1991)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Jantscher 2001a)
Vulva
(Aakra et al. 2016)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Morka unpubl.)
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, Morka G H, Antonson A, Farlund M, Wrånes R E, Frølandshagen R, Løvbrekke H, Furuseth P, Fjellberg A, Lemke M, Pfliegler W P, Andersen S, Olsen K M, Aadland B, Berggren K (2016) Spiders new to Norway (Arachnida, Araneae) with ecological, taxonomical and faunistic comments. Norwegian Journal of Entomology 63: 6-43 
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, Van Keer K (2017) Een herziene soortenlijst van de Belgische spinnen (Araneae). Nieuwsbrief van de Belgische Arachnologische Vereniging 32: 39-69
Brændegaard J (1966) Edderkopper: Eller Spindlere I Danmarks Fauna 72: 1-224
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
Heimer S, Nentwig W (1991) Spinnen Mitteleuropas. Paul Parey Berlin
Helsdingen P J van (2025a) Catalogus van de Nederlandse spinnen. Versie 2025.1. 249 pp.
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
Ivanov V V (2013) The checklist of Belarusian spiders (Arachnida, Araneae). Zoology and Ecology 4: 293-311
Jantscher E (2001a) Revision der Krabbenspinnengattung Xysticus C.L. Koch, 1835 (Araneae, Thomisidae) in Zentraleuropa. Dissertation, Univ. Graz, 328 pp., 81 pls.
Komnenov M (2010) Checklist of spiders (Araneae) of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Uzizaž i Biospeld 5(2009): 52-69
Komnenov M (2014) Spider fauna of the Osogovo Mt. Range, Northeastern Macedonia. Fauna Balkana 2: 1-267
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
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
Locket G H, Millidge A F (1951) British spiders. Vol. I. Ray Society, London, 310 pp.
Locket G H, Millidge A F, Merrett P (1974) British Spiders, Volume III. Ray Society, London, 315 pp.
Løvbrekke H (unpubl.)
Maurer R, Hänggi A (1990) Katalog der schweizerischen Spinnen. Documenta Faunistica Helvetiae 12
Morka G H (unpubl.)
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.
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
Thaler K, Knoflach B (2004b) Zur Faunistik der Spinnen (Araneae) von Österreich: Gnaphosidae, Thomisidae (Dionycha pro parte). Linzer Biologische Beiträge 36: 417-484
Van Keer J, Van Keer K, De Koninck H, Ramel G (2010) The arachnofauna (Araneae) of wetland Kerkini (Macedonia-Northern Central Greece). Acta Zoologica Bulgarica 62: 141-160
Vasiliev A I, Mikhailov K G (2023) Annotated checklist of spiders (Araneae) of the Republic of Moldova. Invertebrate Zoology 20: 307-342
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
Vogels J, Hiddes C (2023) Xysticus luctator L. Koch, 1870 (Araneae, Thomisidae) na 131 jaar weer in Nederland aangetroffen [Xysticus luctator L. Koch, 1870 (Araneae, Thomisidae) found again in the Netherlands after 131 years]. Nieuwsbrief SPINED 40: 2-7
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
| 12-11-2025 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 13-03-2023 | Image insert | |
| 18-01-2023 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 09-10-2022 | Image insert | |
| 10-05-2022 | Datasheet update | Detail |
| 30-04-2021 | Image insert | |
| 11-08-2020 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 08-06-2020 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 15-04-2020 | Image insert | |
| 11-03-2020 | Distribution insert | Detail |
| 14-01-2017 | Image insert | |
| 09-05-2016 | Image insert | |
| 01-12-2013 | Distribution update | Detail |