A few money spiders

Who could not love the Linyphiidae family of spiders? Otherwise known as "money spiders", there are about 300 species in the UK, varying in size from about 1.5mm to 4mm. They are identified by a number of features including the shape of the carapace (head) in the males, the number of dorsal spines on the tibia, the presence or otherwise of trichobothria (long hair like setae) and the position of the trichobothria on the metatarsus. However, the clinching id features of mature animals are the genitalia. The male genetalia are the swollen boxing glove like palps, and these are unique to each species, particularly the shape of the palpal tibia. The female genetalia is the epigyne which is again unique to each species. The photos below are amongst my first efforts to photograph spiders. The largest spider here is about 3mm long in real life





The above two photos are both male Silometopus ambiguus which has particularly impressive palps.


This is underside of a female Oedothorax fuscus.


The epigyne of Oedothorax fuscus. Compare it to the quite diffferent epigyne of Erigone longipalpis (below).