Gavin Vella

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False Widow Spiders - Steatoda bipunctata

I mentioned a second species of False Widow in my last blog (S. bipunctata) but didn't show you a picture. How rude and unprofessional of me. Here it is, the Rabbit Hutch Spider. Just took these photos at 3 locations around the back garden. First picture below shows a female and a very tiny male which was barely noticeable. These are the smallest of the 3 species of spider under the name 'False Widow' at only 8mm long. The third species I'm yet to see is called the Noble False Widow (Steatoda nobilis) which is 14mm long and I'm told theres only one known place in Gwent for them (by local spider expert Mike Kilner).