.5.
Key to the Families of Belgian and Dutch Spiders.5.
Key to the Families of Belgian and Dutch Spiders
Use of
the determination tables:
To make life easy, you just need to (left)click the cipher a the end of
each sentence (after reading the sentence of course); you automatically
end up by the choosen number and finally by the (probable) correct Spider
family. So click and go...
.5.1. Identification of the Family on the ground of Hunting and Catching Characteristics
1 Spider has web and bell-shaped nest in the water ...................................................................................................................-> ARGYRONETIDAE
- Spider does not live in the water ................................................................................................................. 2
2 Spider makes one or another form of web .................................................................................................................. 3
- Spider does not make any web, but just a funnel web (kind of tubular home) or a cellular or bag-shaped web .................................................................................................................. 13
- Spider does not make a web, but hunts ................................................................................................................... 20
3 Web is regulary, wheel-shaped or triangular and lies in a leveled surface, horizontal, sloping or vertical .................................................................................................. 4
- Web or spinning is totally different ........................................... 8
4 Regularly wheel-shaped web without zigzagbands or stabilementum ...................................................................................................................... 5
- Web has zigzagbands and/or stabilementum, or is not circular ...................................................................................................................... 6
5 Spider has spherical abd ...................................................................................................................-> ARANEIDAE
- Spider has slim abd and sits in condition of rest with legs stretched out lengthwise ...................................................................................................................-> TETRAGNATHIDAE
6 Sloppy round web with a funnel-shaped housing in the centre; out of here shiny strips with bluish glowing sticky threads ...................................................................................................................-> AMAUROBIIDAE
- Web without funnel-shaped housing in the centre....................... 7
7 Rather regularly wheel-web (13-18cm) with stabilementa and zigzagbands or triangular web ...................................................................................................................-> ULOBORIDAE
- Rather sloppy round or triangular small web with bluish shining, mostly zigzag running strokes of sticky threads .................................................................................. -> DICTYNIDAE
8 Spider with globular abd makes sloppy three-dimensional web of criss-cross threads; web is sometimes very expansive ......................................................................-> THERIDIIDAE ; NESTICIDAE
- Web consists largely of a horizontal mat with sometimes very tight spinning ...................................................................................................................... 9
9 Web is flat continuation of a often hidden funnel-web; spider walks on web ..............................................................................................................10
- Web is hung up like a hammock an shows small pits or is very empty; spider hangs upside down on web ............................................................................. 11
10 Spiders smaller then 3 mm ...................................................................................................................-> HAHNIDAE
- Spiders bigger then 3 mm, mostly very fast ...................................................................................................................-> AGELENIDAE
11 Small slim spider with very long thiny legs; hangs on empty hammock-shaped web; trembles strongly when disturbed .................................................................................................-> PHOLCIDAE
- Not so; webs and spiders mostly small to very small ..................................................................................................................... 12
12 Real hammocks ...................................................................................................................-> LINYPHIIDAE
- Small horizontal webs with in the centre a tightly spun mat ...................................................................................................................-> LINYPHIIDAE
13 Spider digs living tube into the ground ..................................................................................................................... 14
- Spider makes cellular- or bag-shaped funnel or a not ground located funnel .................................................................................................. 15
14 Funnel is cloesed a both sides, upper side equal with ground surface;sturdy spiders ...................................................................................................-> ATYPIDAE
- Funnel has above ground-surface an half dome-shaped roof, which continues in a sloping catching web directed towards the surface ...................................................................................................................-> ERESIDAE
15 Spider has 6 eyes .......................................................... 16
- Spider has 8 eyes ............................................................. 19
16 Small cellular or tubular funnel, one side open; out of here trip-wires; spider peeks at bait out of funnel ...................................................................................................................-> DYSDERIDAE
- Ditto; no trip-wires; spider lives during daytime in funnel and hunts by night ...................................................................................................................... 17
17 Spider is bigger then 9 mm ................................................ 18
- Spider is 1-3 mm; very slowly ...................................................................................................................-> OONOPIDAE
18 Abd white-yellow .................................................................-> DYSDERIDAE
- Abd ocherous with black tiger streeps; slow spiders; in houses ...................................................................................................................-> SCYTODIDAE
19 Tubular funnel with two openings; spiders hunt by night; spiders live mostly on soil ........................................................................................-> CLUBIONIDAE
- Bag-shaped funnel, one side open; spiders hunt by night; spiders live mostly on soil ...................................................................................-> GNAPHOSIDAE; ANYPHAENIDAE
20 Fast running hunting spiders; hunt on soil or in low plants ......................................................................................................................... 21
- Not so ............................................................................ 22
21 Spiders bigger then 13 mm with long robust legs ...................................................................................................................-> PISAURIDAE
- Spiders smaller then 13 mm; a bit shorter robust legs .........................................................-> LYCOSIDAE; ZORIDAE; OXYOPIDAE; TETRAGNATHIDAE
22 Spider with very lively head, springing and jumping against walls and suchlike while hunting .....................................................................................................-> SALTICIDAE
- Not so ............................................................................. 23
23 Slow little spider with globular abd, invades web of orb-web spiders, that are his prey; night animals .................................................................................-> MIMETIDAE
- Spider sits deathly quiet on parts of plants (leaves, flowers, stalks etcetera..) awaiting for his prey; abd often with biggest width behind the middle; spider moves sideward lic a crab ............................................................................................-> EUSPARASSIDAE; THOMISIDAE
Tables and text according to W. Van Katwijk © 1976
