Rabbit Hutch Spider

Steatoda bipunctata

Well. this is a new one on me. I discovered this relatively small spider in my shed when I was giving it a good clean out this morning. Darn hard to photograph as it was so, so fidgety. Blowing on them normally does the trick, but this one just wasn’t having it. Maybe it wasn’t too happy at being evicted then being expected to pose for a series of shots, but I must have been turning blue in the face until it finally stopped for this one decent image before scurrying off across the patio.

Apparently this spider is found in animal pens like rabbit hutches, or in sheds and garages, the indoor type of arachnid. They are about 5 to 7mm long, and have a pale stripe across the front of the abdomen which can just about be seen in this image. Note the four distinct indentations on the abdomen. It can be quite variable, but it is usually a glossy chestnut colour. It is common and widespread across Britain, although this is the first time I have ever encountered this species in my just over half a century on this good earth.

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Garden shed, Staffordshire, England. June 2017.