| Rabbit Hutch Spider (Steatoda bipunctata (Linnaeus, 1758)) |
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Scientific name: Steatoda bipunctata (Linnaeus, 1758) Common name: Rabbit Hutch Spider French name: Steatoda bipunctata Order: Araneae Family: Theridiidae Size: 4 to 5.5 mm for males, 4.5 to7 mm for females. Biotope: Very often inside buildings (often close to a door), in rabbit hutches (this is the origin of the English common name), under tree barks or under rocks. Web: Irregular web made of a mess of silk threads. Observation period: All year round. Geographic area: Holarctic region. |
Steatoda bipunctata has a rounded and shiny body. The abdomen is dark brown just like chocolate, the cephalothorax is a variable colour from reddish brown to blackish brown. The abdomen shows a pale dorsal stripe, made by small whitish spots, but not always very visible. There is also a thin pale line on the fore edge of the abdomen. On the upper side of the abdomen, the apodemes, that's to say the muscle attachment points, form pairs of small dimples which may explain the origin of the scientific name. The legs are ringed. Males have large pedipalps which are held frontwards. The underside of the abdomen shows a dark marking resembling the infinite symbol or the alpha letter of the Greek alphabet. The other species of the same genus bear different shapes of abdominal markings. |
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Using flash light on pictures of species with a shiny body is a difficult exercise. Here I have used a ring flash to avoid shadows but its reflection on the spider's body gives a bad result. I will have to try other technics. |
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This is even worth on this upper side view. |
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Here is one male with its large dark pedipalps held frontwards. |
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This male has been very kind to position on this irregular web. I have been able to shoot an underside view. You can clearly see the marking resembling the infinite symbol or the alpha letter. |
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Here is another male ( or the same as one month before) with its large pedipalps. |
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I am trying to shoot a series of pictures illustrating the different eye patterns of the spider families. The result is not good enough here to be selected for the Theridiidae family. |
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Here is a closer view of a male with its large black pedipalps. |
André Bon January 2022
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