Bird, bug, butterfly and a wild variety of photos from Belarus, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Scotland and Spain by Irish wildlife photographer Patrick J. O'Keeffe and invited guests

Showing posts with label Metellina Mengei. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Metellina Mengei. Show all posts

Friday, 23 October 2020

LESSER GARDEN SPIDER (Metellina segmentata) Lullymore West Bog, Lullymore, Co. Kildare, Ireland

 
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The Lesser Garden Spider (Metellina segmentata) is of the family Tetragnathidae which is in the genus Metellina.This is a common late summer and autumn species of orb spider. Seperate with care from the extremely similiar
Summer Orbweaver (Metellina mengei) which tends to occure earlier in the season but they can overlap. 
 On female Lesser Garden Spider the black strip beneath the abdomen ends at the epigyne. On Summer Orbweaver the black stripe is more extensive and the male has long hairs on the underside of the fore tarsi. Examination by microscope is the only 100% reliable means of 
identification of these two species.
 
Patrick J. O'Keeffe / RAW birds