| Ballus chalybeius | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Adult male | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Salticidae |
| Genus: | Ballus |
| Species: | B. chalybeius |
| Binomial name | |
| Ballus chalybeius (Walckenaer, 1802) | |
 | |
| Synonyms | |
Aranea depressa Contents | |
Ballus chalybeius is a jumping spider. It is the type species of the genus Ballus.
This flattened spider can reach a length of 3–4 millimetres (0.12–0.16 in). The prosoma is dark brown in females, with irregular lighter markings. The lightly yellow legs have dark rings in both sexes. In males, which are generally darker, the first legs are dark and thickened. The species is similar to Ballus rufipes , which is smaller and much darker. [1]
During summer, the female builds a flat silken retreat on the underside of a leaf and guards its egg sac inside. [1]
It can be found mostly on the fringes of deciduous forests, on broad-leaved bushes and trees, particularly oaks, and in the grass. In Central Europe, they are widely distributed and in most areas quite common. [1]
Ballus chalybeius occurs in Europe, North Africa to Central Asia. [2]
The species name is derived from Ancient Greek chalyb- "steel".
Wolf spiders are members of the family Lycosidae, from the Ancient Greek word "λύκος" meaning "wolf". They are robust and agile hunters with excellent eyesight. They live mostly in solitude and hunt alone, and do not spin webs. Some are opportunistic hunters pouncing upon prey as they find it or even chasing it over short distances. Some wait for passing prey in or near the mouth of a burrow.
The giant house spider has been treated as either one species, under the name Eratigena atrica, or as three species, E. atrica, E. duellica and E. saeva. As of April 2020, the three species view was accepted by the World Spider Catalog. They are among the largest spiders of Central and Northern Europe. They were previously placed in the genus Tegenaria. In 2013, they were moved to the new genus Eratigena as the single species Eratigena atrica. In 2018, the three separate species were restored. The bite of these species does not pose a threat to humans or pets, and they are generally reluctant to bite, preferring instead to hide or escape.
Philaeus chrysops is a species of jumping spider (Salticidae).
Eresus sandaliatus is a species of spider found primarily in northern and central Europe. Like other species of the genus Eresus, it is commonly called ladybird spider because of the coloration of the male.
Ballus is a spider genus of the family Salticidae.
Aculepeira ceropegia, the oak spider, is an orb-weaving spider species belonging to the family Araneidae.
The nursery web spider Pisaura mirabilis is a spider species of the family Pisauridae.
Neon levis is a jumping spider with palearctic distribution, occurring in Southern and Western Europe, northern Africa and Xinjiang (China). Females reach a size of up to 3 mm, males up to 2.5 mm. They are of a light yellowish-brown color, the legs having light-dark annulation. Adult animals can be found in Germany from March to July.
Atypus piceus is a mygalomorph spider of the family Atypidae. It occurs in Europe to Moldavia, and Iran and is the type species of the genus Atypus.
Evarcha falcata is a species of 'jumping spiders' belonging to the family Salticidae.
Larinioides cornutus, the furrow spider, furrow orb spider, or foliate spider is an orb-weaver spider with Holarctic distribution.
Segestria florentina is the biggest European segestriid spider. Some vernacular names are green-fanged tube web spider and cellar spider, although the latter is not exclusive to this species.
Talavera aequipes is a small jumping spider that is found in Eurasia. It is very hard to distinguish from several very similar species, but is the most frequent of these spiders in Central Europe. It is small enough to reside comfortably in snail shells of down to 5 mm length during winter, where they also lay their eggs. Sometimes it shares a larger shell with Pellenes tripunctatus, where T. aequipes lives deep inside, and P. tripunctatus is found in the larger opening.
Opilio canestrinii is a species of harvestman.
Synageles venator is a species of ant-like jumping spider. It occurs in the Palearctic region and Canada, and is also found in North Africa. In Central Europe it is the most common ant-like jumping spider.
Titanoeca quadriguttata is a species of spider in the family Titanoecidae. It is widespread in Europe, though absent from Great Britain, and is found in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Corsica, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Ukraine.
Neon valentulus is a species of jumping spider found from Europe to Central Asia. It is only found in marshy areas.
Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. Currently, about 1,000 species have been identified. The term tarantula is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although many other members of the same infraorder (Mygalomorphae) are commonly referred to as "tarantulas" or "false tarantulas". Some of the more common species have become popular in the exotic pet trade. Many New World species kept as pets have urticating hairs that can cause irritation to the skin, and in extreme cases, cause damage to the eyes.
Tetragnatha extensa is a species of spider found across the Northern Hemisphere. It has an elongate body, up to 11 mm (0.43 in) long, and adopts a straight line posture when alarmed. It lives on low vegetation in damp areas, and feeds on flying insects which it catches in its web.
Carrhotus xanthogramma is a species of 'jumping spiders' belonging to the family Salticidae.
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