''Scotophaeus blackwalli'', also known as the mouse spider, is a species of spider belonging to the family
Gnaphosidae
Ground spiders comprise Gnaphosidae, the seventh largest spider family with over 2,000 described species in over 100 genera distributed worldwide. There are 105 species known to central Europe, and common genera include ''Gnaphosa'', ''Drassodes ...
.
Description
The adult males of these spiders reach 9mm in length, maturing in the early summer, while females reach 12mm, and can be found until autumn.
[Roberts, Michael J. (1996) ''Collins Field Guide - Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe'', Collins, , pp. 108-9]
The carapace is dark brown while the abdomen is brown/grey with hairs resembling the body of a mouse, hence the common name of 'mouse spider'.
The legs are brown with thick pubescence.
The male has a small
scutum
The ''scutum'' (; plural ''scuta'') was a type of shield used among Italic peoples in antiquity, most notably by the army of ancient Rome starting about the fourth century BC.
The Romans adopted it when they switched from the military formati ...
on the
dorsum of the abdomen.
Distribution and habitat
''Scotophaeus blackwalli'' is native to Europe, the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...
, Turkey and Iran. It has been introduced to North America,
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
, and
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
.
[ It is commonly found around and inside houses in Britain, usually in the Autumn, and also under bark and in holes in walls in warmer parts of Europe.][Jones, Dick (1989) ''A Guide to Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe'' (revised edition), Hamlyn, , p. 74] It hunts nocturnally.[Savory, Theodore (1945) ''The Spiders & Allied Orders of the British Isles'', Warne, p. 64]
Subspecies
* ''Scotophaeus blackwalli isabellinus'' (Simon, 1873) — Corsica, Italy, Croatia
* ''Scotophaeus blackwalli politus'' (Simon, 1878) — France
References
External links
Scotophaeus blackwalli
Spider and Harvestman Recording Scheme
Gnaphosidae
Spiders of Europe
Spiders of Western Asia
Spiders described in 1871
{{Gnaphosidae-stub