Fencepost jumper

Description:

Large species with flattened, elongate abdomen, thickly covered with light hairs. The ground colour is black but is usually mostly hidden by the dense hair coverage, unless the hairs have become rubbed off. The abdomen is usually whitish with a black median and some angulate, chevronlike black lines. Females reach about 8–13 mm length, males only 6–8 mm. The species builds a kind of nest under the bark of dead trees. Up to 100 of these nests can occur side by side. This spider has a hierarchy: weaker animals will show their inferiority by strutting their front legs and slowly receding from the scene.

Habitat:

The spider occurs mostly under loose bark on trees, on paling fences, posts, hop poles, etc. It is also common under flat stones on the tops of dry-stone walls. Adults of both sexes are found from April to September, and females possibly most of the year.

Notes:

Spotted in urban area of Deventer, Holland. (sources:see reference)