UK's rarest spider returns to native heath

16th July, 2008

Britain’s rarest spider is making a triumphant return to its native heaths in Dorset.

The ladybird spider (Eresus sandaliatus) is not only our rarest, but has to be the most spectacular of our British spiders.

Thought to be extinct in the UK since 1906, when it was last recorded in Bournemouth, it was re-discovered at a secret location in Dorset in 1979 by Dr Peter Merrett. With careful management of the habitat, the site now has such a good population that spiders can be translocated from there to carefully chosen sites in the county, including Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Tadnoll and Winfrith nature reserve.

The ladybird spider is fussy about its habitat. It likes patchy, well drained, south facing lowland heath; Thomas Hardy’s ‘Egdon Heath’ in fact. When it disappeared, along with much of the heathland of Bournemouth and Poole, naturalists thought that was the end of the story. But after the rediscovery in another part of Dorset in the 1970s, it is now thought that it had, in fact, been more widespread, so that the re-introduction at Tadnoll and Winfrith is almost certainly a return of the native.

Ladybird spiders are black for most of their life, but, in their last autumn, the males moult into the stunning red and black that gives them their name. On a hot spring day they emerge in all their glory to mate, before being eaten by the female.

Ian Hughes, a naturalist and captive breeding specialist, is handling the translocations, a project led and funded by Natural England. He said: “I am lucky enough to be able to work with this species on the beautiful, unique and irreplaceable Dorset heathland. The conditions at Tadnoll and Winfrith are perfect for the introductions this summer and I have every hope of success.”

Rob Brunt, Reserves Manager at Dorset Wildlife Trust, said: "This is a very exciting project which we are pleased to be a part of. It underlines the importance of nature reserves for the long-term protection of extremely rare species such as the ladybird spider.”

Picture credit: Robert Key

Story by RSWT

More Information

For more information please contact Rob Brunt at Dorset Wildlife Trust on 01305 264620.

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