09. October 2019

Mon 30/09/2019

 

ARACHNOPHOBE ALERT: The following entry may contain spiders. Flippin' HUGE, hairy, scary spiders with ENORMOUS pointed TEETH!

Well, we had a really weird event at work today. As the factory/office block I work at is close to the Thames estuary and very low-lying, there is always a danger that river water will come up through the drains and flood the car park. Some years ago, decking was installed around the office block perimeter to raise the footway above the tarmac. Overnight there were very high tides though, coupled with a mechanical breakdown of Southern Water’s flood defences, so when we came in, water had already got into the production plant and warehouse.

There was another high tide at about 3:00pm, and the water started rising again. A lot of people were out on the decking watching the level rising, and when it touched the underside of the decking, all the creepy-crawlies that live down there were forced up into the open. Huge spiders came up from between the boards and huddled against the building, while loads of tiny and immature spiders started running backwards and forwards looking for somewhere to hide. It was like someone's worst Hallowe’en nightmare. E few roosting moths crawled up as well, and several beasts found their way through the doors into the office block. It was a bit of a photo-fest for me of course, and I saw some species I have never seen before! So arachnophobes beware; this journal is about to become very spidery! Big monsters first I think …

A moth clambers up from the decking to find itself face-to-face with a large male Tegenaria house spider. The moth looks like a lunar underwing, like the one I found on the pavement on Friday.
A moth clambers up from the decking to find itself face-to-face with a large male Tegenaria house spider. The moth looks like a lunar underwing, like the one I found on the pavement on Friday.
Large female Tegenaria house spider with a younger one playing wingman
Large female Tegenaria house spider with a younger one playing wingman
Small Segestria in a hole in the brickwork
Small Segestria in a hole in the brickwork
A lot smaller than it looks in this picture, a Megalepthyphantes spider, probably M.nebulosus
A lot smaller than it looks in this picture, a Megalepthyphantes spider, probably M.nebulosus

 

Two new species for me, flushed out by the flood!

A large Amaurobius, identified online by Richard Lewington as A.ferox, which does not even have a picture in my Dick Jones spider guide.
A large Amaurobius, identified online by Richard Lewington as A.ferox, which does not even have a picture in my Dick Jones spider guide.
Steatoda grossa, from the false widow group of spiders
Steatoda grossa, from the false widow group of spiders
  • This moth crept indoors – it may be the same one that was pictured with the spider earlier. In any case, this is assuredly another lunar underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa
  • This moth crept indoors – it may be the same one that was pictured with the spider earlier. In any case, this is assuredly another lunar underwing Omphaloscelis lunosa
Tags: nature

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