A comprehensively updated edition of an identification guide that was
named a Guardian Best Nature Book of the Year
Now in a comprehensively revised and updated new edition, Britain's
Spiders is a guide to all 38 of the British families, focussing on
spiders that can be identified in the field. Illustrated with a
remarkable collection of photographs, it is designed to be accessible to
a wide audience, including those new to spider identification. This book
pushes the boundaries of field identification for this challenging
group, combining information on features that can be seen with the naked
eye or a hand lens with additional evidence from webs, egg sacs,
behaviour, phenology, habitats and distributions. Individual accounts
cover 404 species--all of Britain's "macro" spiders and the larger money
spiders, with the limitations to field identification clearly explained.
This new edition includes nine species new to Britain, many recent name
changes, updated distribution maps and species information, new guides
to help identify spider families and distinctive species, and the latest
species checklist.
- A guide to spider families, based on features recognizable in the
field, focussing on body shape and other characteristics, as well as
separate guides to webs and egg-sacs
- Detailed accounts and more than 700 stunning photographs highlight key
identification features for each genus and species, and include
information on status, behaviour and habitats
- Up-to-date distribution maps, and charts showing adult seasonality
- Introductory chapters on the biology of spiders, and where, when and
how to find them, including equipment needed in the field
- A complete list of the spiders recorded in Britain, indicating the
ease of identification as well as rarity and conservation status
- Information on how to record spiders and make your records count, and
guidance on how to take your interest further
- New to this edition: coverage of nine species new to Britain, updated
species information and distribution maps, identification guides to
spider families and distinctive species, and the latest species
checklist
