Aporinellus sexmaculatus (Spinola, 1806)
Description and notes
An all black species, the abdomen, particularly in the female, with paired spots of silvery-grey pubescence. The posterolateral projections on the propodeum distinguish it immediately from most other British species.
Distribution
In the British Isles this species is restricted to the Channel Islands.
Overseas it occurs from Europe across to central Asia and in north Africa (Wolf, 1972).
Status (in Britain only)
The Channel Islands are, for a number of reasons, excluded from the geographical coverage of the British Red Data book (Shirt, 1987) and the subsequent review (Falk, 1991).
Habitat
Occurs in open sandy habitats, especially on dunes.
Flight period
Day (1988) cites records only for June, but suggests it is likely to be active in July and August. It has been recorded on the northern French coast in early September (pers. obs.).
Prey collected
No British data. Gros (1983) recorded a salticid in France, and Wiśniowski (2009) lists several salticid genera as well as Philodromidae and Thomisidae.
Nesting biology
This species is fossorial, digging short burrows in the sand. The spider is paralysed prior to nest construction.
Flowers visited
No data available.
Year profile last updated
2019