Suffolk’s Priority Spider and other Arachnid Species
Key
Listed as a conservation priority in Suffolk’s Biodiversity Action Plan.
Closely associated with Suffolk’s landscape and natural identity.
Identified as a key priority for recovery under Suffolk’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
Has a Species of the Month article attached.
The SBIS database holds spider records for the county, with lists for several major reserves that draw heavily on Eric Duffey’s work from the 1960s. Paul Lee has computerised most spider records on his own copy of Recorder, and his annual recorder’s reports for spiders and other arthropods have contributed significantly to our understanding of the county’s arachnofauna. Suffolk’s most notable spider is undoubtedly the Fen Raft Spider (Dolomedes plantarius), one of the rarest species in the UK, first discovered at Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Redgrave and Lopham Fen reserve in 1956.
Further information on recording and identification can be found on the British Arachnological Society (BAS) website and the Spider Recording Scheme (SRS) pages. Our Species Identification Guides page contains a useful list of resources.
Major Publications
- The spiders of Suffolk. A. Russell-Smith (1981) vol. 18
- A review of Suffolk pseudoscorpions (with an original drawing by W.A. Thornhill). H. Mendel (1981) vol. 18
- The study of spiders and some recent records of interesting spiders found in Suffolk. W.A. Thornhill (1981) vol. 18
- A Preliminary Account of the Spiders of the Flatford Mill Region. J.A.L. Cooke (1962) vol. 12
- Spiders from Redgrave, Lopham and Hopton Fens in the Waveney and Little Ouse Valleys. E.A.G. Duffey (1961) vol. 12
- Spider Fauna of the Heaths and Fens of West Suffolk. E. Duffey, G.H. Locket & A.F. Millidge (1959) vol. 10
- The Arachnida of Suffolk. W.S. Bristowe (1940) vol. 4
Papers from Suffolk Natural History
- Keep an eye out for this cellar spider new to Suffolk. P. Lee & R. Garrod (2017) vol. 53
- Spider Recorder's Report 2012. P. Lee (2013) vol. 48
- Nigma walckenaeri (Roewer, 1951) (Arachnida: Dictynidae) new to Suffolk. A. Knowles (2010) vol. 46
- Spider Recorder's Annual Report, 2008. P. Lee (2009) vol. 46
- Spider Recorder's Report, 2006. P. Lee (2007) vol. 43
- Spider Recorder's Annual Report 2005. P. Lee (2006) vol. 42
- Spider Recorder's Report, 2004. P. Lee (2005) vol. 41
- Spider Recorder's Annual Report, 2003. P. Lee (2004) vol. 40
- Spider Recorder's Annual Report, 2002. P. Lee (2003) vol. 39
- Spider Recorder's Report, 2001. P. Lee (2002) vol. 39
- Spider Recorder's Annual Report 2000. P. Lee (2001) vol. 37
- Spider Recorder's Report 1999. P. Lee (2000) vol. 36
- The Spiders of RAF Mildenhall. P. Lee (2000) vol. 36
- Spiders. W.A. Thornhill (1999) vol. 35
- The first recorded occurrence of the harvestman, Nelima gothica Lohmander in East Anglia. P. Lee (1991) vol. 27
- Pseudoscorpions. H. Mendel (1987) vol. 23
- The distribution of the Great Raft Spider, Dolomedes plantarius, on Redgrave and Lopham Fens. W.A. Thornhill (1985) vol. 21
- A few more records of Pseudoscorpions including a species new to Suffolk. H. Mendel (1982) vol. 18
- The Distribution of some rare Breckland Spiders. E.A.G. Duffey (1965) vol. 13
- Some Spiders New to Suffolk: i Araneae. Hull; ii Chlonethida. O. Gilbert & J.E. Hull (1949) vol. 7