Pardosa amentata

Pardosa amentata

Description

Pardosa amentata is a wolf spider between 5 mm and 8 mm in length and has a brownish coloured body with darker brown markings or spots.

Identification difficulty
ID checklist (your specimen should have all of these features)

Confirmation of this species requires examination of the genitals of mature specimens. 

Recording advice

Confirmation of this species: "Requires examination at high magnification in good lighting, typically examination of the genitalia." Bee, L., Oxford, G., & Smith, H. (2020). Britain's Spiders: A Field Guide. Second Edition. Princeton University Press.

Habitat

The spider occurs in a wide range of open habitats, especially in damp situations. It has been recorded from grasslands, marshes, riversides, fens, salt marsh, woodland clearings, hedge banks, moorland, blanket bog, waste ground, field margins and rarely heathland. In gardens this is usually the commonest Pardosa species.

When to see it

Adults of both sexes are found mainly in early to mid-summer, and sometimes again in early autumn.

UK Status

Widespread and fairly frequent in most of Britain.

VC55 Status

Frequent in Leicestershire and Rutland.

Further Information

9443 British records to 2013

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Additional images

All NatureSpot records