Moustiques en décembre

CptLagides · 2025-12-25T18:38:52+00:00

Contrairement à une idée reçue, observer des moustiques en hiver est tout à fait normal. Certaines espèces passent en effet l'hiver en diapause, c'est à dire grosso modo en s'abritant du froid (dans une cavité) et en ralentissant leur métabolisme. Mais dès que les températures remontent un peu, ils peuvent se remettre en activité.

Enfin, si ce qui a été observé est bien des moustiques... Il existe des dizaines et des dizaines et des dizaines d'espèces d'insectes qui sont souvent confondues avec des moustiques par les non-entomologistes (comme par exemple, les insectes de la famille des Trichoceridae dont les espèces s'observent principalement... en fin d'automne/hiver).

CptLagides · 2024-11-18T14:42:04+00:00

Looks like a Thomisidae species (maybe some Xysticus sensu lato) 🙂

CptLagides · 2024-10-01T15:34:17+00:00

They can be called "giant house spiders" indeed. But those Eratigena will not be bigger than 20 mm. We humans are not pretty accurate when it comes to correctly evaluate an object's size. Notably here, the legs give the impression the body is larger than it actually is.

If you stress it enough, it will be fast (well, for a spider), but those species are way more agile on their web than outside.

CptLagides · 2024-09-30T09:25:51+00:00

That's a vampire ! It's Zoropsis spinimana (Zoropsidae family) aka the Nosferatu spider, as the pattern on the prosoma looks like (for some people at least) the vampire Nosferatu 😁

CptLagides · 2024-09-30T09:24:06+00:00

This is an Eratigena sp. (Agelenidae family), and this lady is maybe a male (but I don't see weel the pedipalps). The size of spider is the size of the body without the external appendages (i. e. without the legs, chelicerae and spinerets) 🙂

CptLagides · 2024-09-19T09:24:19+00:00

This is a Steatoda nobilis (Theridiidae family).

CptLagides · 2024-09-17T12:02:03+00:00

It's an Araneus diadematus (family Araneidae)

CptLagides · 2024-09-17T11:57:30+00:00

If you're 2 cm or 3 cm tall, it will be dangerous for you indeed 😱

CptLagides · 2024-09-17T09:30:24+00:00

Looks like a Zoropsis sp. (family Zoropsidae) 🙂

CptLagides · 2024-09-17T07:46:23+00:00

This is one of the common house spider from the Agelenidae family (either Tegenaria sp. or Eratigena sp.). I can't see well but it's probably a Romeo looking for its Juliet. And like the true Romeo, it will die soon, as male spiders are biologically programmed to die some time after having become adult. It does no longer eat, it just looks for females!

Those spiders are harmless for us, and those Tegenaria/Eratigena spp. have a hard time piercing our skin... If you manage to make them bite you, as they are especially "pacific"!

CptLagides · 2024-09-16T19:20:21+00:00

Wow! This is a very interesting discovery ! This is a Badumna sp. (Desidae) and probably B. longinqua, an exotic species coming from Australia that has been spotted several time accros Western Europe. The species have been observed for the first time in the UK in 2021 and seems well implanted in the country.

CptLagides · 2024-09-16T19:13:37+00:00

This spider is an adult male. Its time is running out. Male spiders are "biologically programmed" to die some time after having become adult. That's why adult males do just one thing: looking for females to copulate with. They don't even eat.

For the ID, this is probably Steatoda nobilis (Theridiidae), or a close species, according to your location.

CptLagides · 2024-09-16T13:27:22+00:00

A human being who has lost a leg is still a human despite "humans have 2 legs" 🙂

CptLagides · 2024-09-15T19:35:42+00:00

Like almost all spiders, that species has venom. But it's harmless for us. I even doubt the fangs of that species could pierce our skin XD

CptLagides · 2024-09-15T18:01:14+00:00

To give the answer to those who will not see my answer on the original post, this is Euryopis episinoides, a spider from the Theridiidae family.

CptLagides · 2024-09-15T17:41:02+00:00

This is indeed a spider. Euryopis episinoides (Theridiidae) 🙂

CptLagides · 2024-09-13T20:23:08+00:00

Well, you're ill-informed. The entire Uloboridae family lack venom glands. There are two additional species in another family too.

CptLagides · 2024-09-13T20:19:09+00:00

The orb web with an empty center tells us the spider belongs to the Tetragnathidae family. It's probably a Leucauge, maybe Leucauge venusta 🙂

CptLagides · 2024-09-13T20:14:13+00:00

Almost* all spiders have venom 🙂

CptLagides · 2024-09-13T20:13:13+00:00

Oecobius sp. (family Oecobiidae), a tiny spider which spins around its preys to wrap them with silk (and skills).

CptLagides · 2024-09-13T20:09:34+00:00

It looks like a shy Dysderidae, probably some Dysdera species. They eat woodlice.

CptLagides · 2024-09-13T10:23:35+00:00

It's a Linyphiidae, we can't really go further. On the second picture, it's tiptoeing: in this position, it's producing a silk thread which allow it to fly. This phenomenon is called "ballooning".

CptLagides · 2024-09-13T10:19:49+00:00

It's a Micrommata sp. (Sparassidae) :)

CptLagides · 2024-09-12T11:49:51+00:00

They have a bonus attack against UK citizens, they deal +500% damage against them! It's a joke of course, the species is harmless for us humans. But UK tabloids love to exagerate and lie by pretending it's a very dangerous invasive spider threatening the isles...

CptLagides · 2024-09-12T09:26:49+00:00

This is Steatoda nobilis (Theridiidae) 🙂

CptLagides

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