Possible dictynid species

Fact Box Species: Possible dictynid species (QM) (dictynids are difficult to separate from desids and other species, a stereo microscope being needed to separate them - see notes below) Family: Dictynidae Body length: female: about 4 mm male: about 3 mm Habitat: This species lives in leaf litter or under the loose bark Toxicity: Too small to cause illness in humans and accidental contact is unlikely anyway

View from above Underneath spider The same species? Underneath spider

Spider(s) with a very similar appearance: A variety of spider species have the same 'average' body and leg shape and lycosid-like markings, but the undivided cribellum in front of the spinnerets distinguishes a dictynid from most of the species that resemble it, although it now appears that some members of the Family Desidae may also have an undivided cribellum and hence this spider could actually be a desid rather than a dictynid.