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Comments & ID Thoughts
5 of 6 Metellina spp. - Probably M. mengei one of 5 Metellina spp. all hanging out on the same wall one evening in October
- Submitted by:
- Submitted: Nov 20, 2022
- Photographed: Oct 24, 2022
- Spider: Unidentified
- Location: Southern Ireland, Ireland
- Spotted Outdoors: Man-made structure (building wall, fences, etc.)
- Found in web?: No
- Attributes:
Sorry I meant this is probably M. merianae as it is quite dark – not M. mengei
I think this might be a Chestnut Orb Weaver. There had only been one identified sighting of an M. Merianae in Ireland, so it’s very unlikely that this is the one.
Hi thanks for the input. I am as certain as I can be that this is Metellina spp. I see where you are coming from – the abdomen is quite like a chestnut orb weaver but the shape and shine of the carapace, the mottled legs and the way it is sitting with those long legs stretched indicate Metellina. Its size and colour mean it is probably M. merianae. As for incidence – it is listed on the website Araneae – Spiders of Europe and on Wikipedia as an Irish native. Record keeping of spiders in Ireland is notoriously poor… Read more »