Ant Spider

Description:

Zodariidae; Mallinella sp. The cephalothorax and abdomen of this spider are very dark brown, almost black at first glance, but there are just discernable traces of brown markings (at least in the dorsal view - I did not get an opportunity to get a ventral view). The legs look very robust and are also dark brown, but with light brown markings along their full length.

Habitat:

This spider was spotted on the ground between our back wall and the vegetable plot. At that time, there was some construction work being carried out and the spider was in danger of being crushed underfoot by the workers. So I scooped it up in a glass jar and brought it to the front garden and released it there.

Notes:

Before releasing the spider, I took one photo of it when it was still in the jar, just in case it escaped before I could take any more pictures. I then tipped it out of the jar onto a white sheet of paper where it was remarkably placid while I took some more photos.