Candy-striped spider (Enoplognatha Spp) ©
Lineata morph Candy-striped spiders - Enoplognatha ovata and Enoplognatha latimana are almost identical in size and appearance and can only be separated reliably by the form of the male palp and of the female epigyne in mature individuals.
There can also be a variable number of black spots forming a line on each dorsolateral flank. These spots are more common in E. ovata than E. latimana but, contrary to some descriptions, do occur in both species. The ventral surface has a broad black band running from the epigastric fold to the spinnerets and four black spots around the spinnerets (which are constant, irrespective of the presence or absence of dorsal spotting). The legs are un-banded and the colour of the cephalothorax, both of which are darker in mature males.
Enoplognatha ovata is one of our commonest, prettiest and most recognizable species of comb-footed spiders (family Theridiidae), found throughout the British Isles and an occupant of most domestic gardens. In Europe its distribution extends south to the Mediterranean coast, eastwards to the longitude of the Caspian Sea and to the north reaches the southern coasts of Norway, Sweden and Finland. E. latimana is found in England, Wales and Ireland, but not in Scotland. When it first started to be mapped in England and Wales the species seemed to be confined to a coastal strip (Lancashire around to East Anglia) but has increasingly been reported inland. Whether this is just a sampling artefact or a result of the species expanding its range isn't yet clear. On the Continent, E. latimana occupies a more southerly distribution than E. ovata, even extending into North Africa, and is also found further east in Asia.
Both species are usually associated with low-growing vegetation and shrubs; occasionally the lower branches of trees. In continental Europe the two species are frequently found occupying the same habitat as mixed-species populations. In the British Isles, however, E. latimana seems to be confined to more open, hotter and drier environments such as sand dunes, coastal cliffs and heathlands (e.g. in the Breckland of East Anglia)
Photo by Nick Dobbs, Bournemouth, Dorset 01-07-2025
Candy-striped spider (Enoplognatha Spp) ©
Lineata morph Candy-striped spiders - Enoplognatha ovata and Enoplognatha latimana are almost identical in size and appearance and can only be separated reliably by the form of the male palp and of the female epigyne in mature individuals.
There can also be a variable number of black spots forming a line on each dorsolateral flank. These spots are more common in E. ovata than E. latimana but, contrary to some descriptions, do occur in both species. The ventral surface has a broad black band running from the epigastric fold to the spinnerets and four black spots around the spinnerets (which are constant, irrespective of the presence or absence of dorsal spotting). The legs are un-banded and the colour of the cephalothorax, both of which are darker in mature males.
Enoplognatha ovata is one of our commonest, prettiest and most recognizable species of comb-footed spiders (family Theridiidae), found throughout the British Isles and an occupant of most domestic gardens. In Europe its distribution extends south to the Mediterranean coast, eastwards to the longitude of the Caspian Sea and to the north reaches the southern coasts of Norway, Sweden and Finland. E. latimana is found in England, Wales and Ireland, but not in Scotland. When it first started to be mapped in England and Wales the species seemed to be confined to a coastal strip (Lancashire around to East Anglia) but has increasingly been reported inland. Whether this is just a sampling artefact or a result of the species expanding its range isn't yet clear. On the Continent, E. latimana occupies a more southerly distribution than E. ovata, even extending into North Africa, and is also found further east in Asia.
Both species are usually associated with low-growing vegetation and shrubs; occasionally the lower branches of trees. In continental Europe the two species are frequently found occupying the same habitat as mixed-species populations. In the British Isles, however, E. latimana seems to be confined to more open, hotter and drier environments such as sand dunes, coastal cliffs and heathlands (e.g. in the Breckland of East Anglia)
Photo by Nick Dobbs, Bournemouth, Dorset 01-07-2025