Pulchellodromus pulchellus (Lucas, 1846) - Running crab spider - Cyprus

Family: Philodromidae

Pulchellodromus is a genus of running crab spiders that were first separated from the genus Philodromus by J. Wunderlich in 2012

Photographs at Pallouriotissa 19 Apr 2020, by Michael Hadjiconstantis 

Uloborus plumipes Lucas, 1846 - Cribellate spider - Cyprus

Family: Uloboridae

Uloborus plumipes is a species of Old World cribellate spider in the family Uloboridae. Common names include the feather-legged lace weaver and the garden centre spider, the latter name being due to its frequent occurrence of this spider in garden centres on the world. The species name is derived from the Latin pluma "feather" and pes "foot".

Females grow up to 6 mm. They lack venom glands and are therefore non-venomous. A stabilimentum is sometimes present. Pattern and colouration are quite variable. In contrast to Uloborus walckenaerius, it has distinct tufts of hairs on the front legs. They are well-camouflaged as they hang upside down motionlessly in their horizontal webs. Young spiders look like dead insects and are thus hard to find on a web. The empty egg sac can often be seen attached to house plants. It is flattish, papery and brown and about 0.5 cm long, with the shape of a dried holly leaf.

Description
Uloborus plumipes is a small spider with adult females growing to a length of about 6 mm (0.2 in). The abdomen is truncated and patterned with various irregular tubercles and granulations. The front pair of legs are uneven in appearance with the tibia clothed in dense hairs while the naked terminal segments are very slender. The colour is some shade of greyish-brown mottled with white specks.

Distribution and habitat
The distribution of Uloborus plumipes is "Europe, Africa, Yemen, Pakistan, Philippines. Introduced to Argentina". It originated from warmer parts of the Old World where its typical habitat is on the trunk or among dead twigs and branches of trees. It has spread to Holland, Belgium and other parts of Europe where it is found in heated greenhouses. It was first recorded in the United Kingdom in 1992 and has since spread to many areas particularly in the south and east. It is often known as the garden centre spider because it is found on houseplants growing in hothouses in garden centres and is able to survive the winter in greenhouses that are heated to maintain a temperature well above freezing point. It may perform a useful function in helping to control whitefly.

Behaviour 
Uloborus plumipes is a cribellate spider with a cribellum, a silk spinning organ which consists of one or more plates covered in thousands of tiny spigots. The fine fibres produced are combined by comblike bristles on the hind legs into slender silk threads with a fuzzy texture that is able to trap prey without the use of glue.

This spider is an expert in camouflage and very much resembles a bit of dead bark or other pieces of detritus as it dangles from its web. It is usually found on dead branches, among dead twigs or under the eaves of a house. It hangs inertly in the centre of the small, horizontal web it has spun with its legs in line with its body. The web often looks bedraggled with broken strands and the whole effect is of an ancient, abandoned cobweb with a scrap of dead plant material adhering to it. The eggs are concealed in silk egg sacs which are also suspended from the web. The female spider closely resembles these as she dangles nearby. The American naturalist Elizabeth Peckham describes how she attempted to take down a small web with eleven apparent cocoons suspended from it, only to find one of these inert objects springing to activity as the female revealed her presence on the web.
Info from Wikipedia.


 Photographs at Pallouriotissa 10 Apr 2020, by Michael Hadjiconstantis 

Spermophora senoculata (Dugès, 1836) - Shortbodied cellar spider - Cyprus

Male

Spermophora senoculata, the shortbodied cellar spider, is a species of cellar spider in the family Pholcidae. It is found in Near East, and it has been introduced into the USA, southern Europe, China, Korea, and Japan. (info from Wikipedia)

Description
Male
Palp very particular: tibia at least twice as long as broad, tarsus with a large apophysis divided into 3 branches, bulb with 2 long apophyses. Prosoma 1 mm long. Prosoma almost colourless, whitish with saffron-coloured spot. Opisthosoma globular, white or with 3 pairs of vague, darker spots.

Female

Female
Prosoma whitish with 2 faint brownish marks. Prosoma 1.2 mm long. Opisthosoma very globular, white with 3 pairs of faint darker spots.
Body length female: 2.1 mm

Additional information
Under stones, in stone walls and caves, in northern regions in buildings.
This species of Asian (Middle East) origin is not native to Europe (alien species). It had been introduced to Europe at least once and did establish.
Troglophile species (Mammola et al. 2018)
(info from https://araneae.nmbe.ch)

Photographs by Michael Hadjiconstantis ( Pallouriotissa: 19 Apr 2020) 

Aphantaulax trifasciata (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1872) - Cyprus

Aphantaulax trifasciata is a species of ground spider in the genus Aphantaulax, family Gnaphosidae

Aphantaulax trifasciata can reach a length of 6–10 millimetres (0.24–0.39 in) in females, of 4–7 millimetres (0.16–0.28 in) in males. The body is oblong-oval shaped, narrow and pointed at the back. The body color is black, with a broad transverse band of white hairs on the fore margin of abdomen, a second interrupted transverse band in the middle of the abdomen and a longitudinal white stripe on the cephalothorax. On the extremityof the abdomen sometimes there are two white spots. Legs are yellow-brown.

This species is present in the palearctic ecozone. It is absent from Central Europe, Britain and Scandinavia.

These spiders can be found under rocks and leaves, mainly on sea coasts or riverbanks. They usually hunt at night.

Subspecies
Aphantaulax trifasciata trifasciata (O. P.-Cambridge, 1872) (Palearctic)
Aphantaulax trifasciata trimaculata Simon, 1878 (France)
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphantaulax_trifasciata

Photo Geri 23/7/2006 by George Konstantinou

Micrommata formosa Pavesi, 1878 - Cyprus

Micrommata is a genus of huntsman spiders with palaearctic distribution (other than M. darlingi, occurring in South Africa). The genus was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804

Description
Male
Prosoma with deep brown, broad longitudinal band in median part, bordererd by light lines, sides light brown. Prosoma length: 3.2-3.7 mm. Legs light brown.Opisthosoma green, dorsum with a reddish brown median band.

Body length male: 6.7-8.1 mm
Female
Colouration as in males. Prosoma length: 3.7-4.4 mm.

Body length female: 9.0-12.5 mm
From https://araneae.unibe.ch/data/2927/Micrommata_formosa

Photos Athienou 9/2/2018 by George Konstantinou

Cyprus Camel Spider - Gylippus (Gylippus) cyprioticus - Sun Spider - Endemic to Cyprus - Video

Cyprus tarantula - Chaetopelma karlamani Vollmer, 1997 - Κυπριακή Ταραντούλα - Endemic to Cyprus

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Chaetopelma olivaceum (Carl Ludwig Koch, 1841) - Cyprus Tarantula

Endemic to Cyprus 

Family - Tarantulas (Theraphosidae)

Chaetopelma karlamani is a small European tarantula species from Cyprus, which was discovered in 1995 andfirst describedby Patrick Vollmer in 1997. The species was named after R. Karlaman, the Cypriot friend of the descriptor and the discoverer of the holotype . The holotype (male) was found under a rock in a goat pen in Lapithos . The first paratype (a female) hidunder rotting wooden beams in the garden of a holiday homein Karaman . The species isvery smallfor the genus Chaetopelma. From https://second.wiki/wiki/chaetopelma_karlamani

Chaetopelma is a genus of tarantulas that was first described by Anton Ausserer in 1871. They are found in Africa and Asia including the countries of Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, Sudan and Cameroon.

Diagnosis

They can be distinguished from the other tarantula genera, except from Nesiergus, because the presence of clavate trichobothria in two rows on the tarsi. Males have a tibial apophysis consisting of two branches, females having a long and slender spermatheca

Photos at Pentadaktylos - Akanthou, December 2014 by George Konstantinou.

See also  Chaetopelma olivaceum (Carl Ludwig Koch, 1841) (Cyprus Tarantula)

Lycosa praegrandis spider - video - Cyprus

Black Tarantula (Chaetopelma olivaceum) spider - video - Cyprus

Black Tarantula (Chaetopelma olivaceum) spider attack - video - Cyprus

Cyclosa sierrae Simon, 1870 - Orb-weaver spider - Cyprus

Family: Araneidae

Cyclosa sierrae is a small spider with no common name. It is an orb weaver. 

Cyclosa is a spider genus in the family Araneidae. Spiders of the genus Cyclosa build relatively small orb webs with a web decoration. The web decoration in Cyclosa spiders is often linear and includes prey remains and other debris, which probably serve to camouflage the spider. 
Info from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclosa


Photos at Orkontas by George Konstantinou & Athalassa 3/4/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis

Heliophanus equester L. Koch, 1867 - Jumping Spider - Cyprus

Family: Salticidae

Heliophanus is a genus of the spider family Salticidae (jumping spiders). Most of the almost 150 described species occur in Africa, with many others found in the Palearctic region from Europe to Japan. 

Photos by Michael Hadjiconstantis at Agios Theodoros (Larnaca), 9/5/2016

Phyxelida anatolica Griswold, 1990 - Cyprus

Family: Phyxelididae 

Η οικογένεια αραχνών Phyxelididae αποτελείται από 12 γένη και 54 περιγεγραμμένα είδη. Το είδος Phyxelida anatolica Griswold, 1990 είναι ο μοναδικός, γνωστός αντιπρόσωπος της οικογένειας Phyxelididae, στο νησί. 

The spider family Phyxelididae family includes 12 genera and 54 described species. The species Phyxelida anatolica Griswold, 1990 is the only known representative of Phyxelididae family on the island. 

Photos by Michael Hadjiconstantis at Leonarisso, 5/11/2016 

Segestria florentina (Rossi, 1790) - Tube-dwelling spider - Cyprus

Family: Segestriidae

Segestria florentina is the biggest European segestriid spider. Some common names are tube web spider or cellar spider, although neither are exclusive to this species.

Description
Females can reach a body length of 22 mm, males up to 15 mm. This species is much darker than others of the same genus. While subadult spiders have a greyish opisthosoma with a marking similar to Segestria senoculata, adults are of a uniform black, sometimes with a green iridescent shine, especially on the chelicerae, which reflect with a striking green. The sexes are similar. Adults occur from June to November.

Habits
They spin a tubular web, often in cracks of buildings. Six or more silken lines radiate from it, and the spider waits in the entrance, touching the lines with the frontal six legs. Prey triggering these lines get caught, and the spider immediately retreats again to eat it. However, in some cases the spider will kill and begin to consume its prey in the opening of the tube, but will retreat further if disturbed. They hunt nocturnal insects such as moths and cockroaches. Bees and wasps are always bitten at the head end, so the sting will face away from the spider.

The female lays her eggs inside the tube web. Sometimes she will die after the spiderlings have hatched, and they will eat their mother. The spider can be lured to the entrance by gently touching the triplines with a stick in the evening or at night.


Distribution
Originally a species of the Mediterranean region as far east as Georgia, it can now be found in several large British towns (for example Bristol), where they were probably introduced via seaports at least since 1845. It has also been found in Argentina, Australia and several Atlantic islands, where it was probably also introduced.

Bite
Its bite is reportedly quite painful. It has been compared to a "deep injection", and the pain can last for several hours. Two neurotoxins and one insecticide were found in the venom. The venom reduces the rate and amount of sodium inactivation. Bites are reported to feel like a bee sting, which would make it a 2 on the Schmidt sting pain index, but does not have any lasting effects. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segestria_florentina

Photos at Orkontas 16/5/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis 

Segestria bavarica C. L. Koch, 1843 - Tube-dwelling spider - Cyprus

Family: Segestriidae

Segestria bavarica is a species of Tube-dwelling spiders. The tube-dwelling spiders (family Segestriidae) consist of two large and widespread genera (Segestria and Ariadna) and two smaller genera, Citharoceps and Gippsicola. The family is easily recognized because its members have six eyes (most spiders have eight) arranged in a semicircle and have the first three pairs of legs arranged forward (most spiders have only the first two pairs so arranged.) The leg structure appears to be an adaptation for living in silken tubes, which unlike those of the atypical tarantulas, may branch and are often built in tree bark fissures, as well as under stones. These are haplogyne primitive araneomorphs related to the Dysderidae, being placed in clade or superfamily Dysderoidea. Both Segestria and Ariadna are known from North America, South America, Eurasia, Africa and New Zealand. This wide distribution attests to the ancient origin of this family. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tube-dwelling_spider

Photos at Neo Chorio 4/9/2016, by Michael Hadjiconstantis