Identify It > Spiders Section > Walnut Orb-weaver Spiders >
Scientific name: Nuctenea umbratica
Size: Female grows to around 14mm, male up to 9mm
Distribution: Found throughout the UK
Months seen: All year round
Habitat: Found mostly under the bark of dead trees, garden sheds, washing lines, and sometimes show up inside houses
Food: Small invertebrates
Special features: Walnut Orb-weavers (sometimes called Black Orb-weavers) are fairly common garden spiders. They can be brown or black coloured, and they have a shiny, flattened, pill-shaped abdomen.
The female Walnut Orb-weaver has a larger, more rounded abdomen. The male is slimmer and has distinctive rounded palps. Both the male and female have a dark brown oak leaf-shaped marking on the dorsal side of the abdomen.
On the ventral side there are two, cream coloured, teardrop-shaped patches.
Walnut Orb-weavers are quite timid and usually only venture out at night. As the name suggests they catch their prey in an orb-shaped web.
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