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Description of Pellenes brevis
Physical Characteristics
Female 4 to 5 mm.
Abdomen dark red brown with slanting white stripes along the edge and a white band across the centre.
Carapace dark brown with two white bands running from the anterior lateral eyes to the rear and a white band along the edge. Around the anterior eyes light hairs and underneath some thin white stripes.
Legs dark with white hairs.
Palps with long white hairs.
Male 3 to 4 mm.
Abdomen same as female, but the white median band is thinner.
Carapace dark brown with the same white longitudinal bands as the female and two thin white bands along the edge. Chelicerae with vertical white stripes.
Legs dark brown with white hair. Pair of legs I black and bigger and thicker than the others with dark patellae and tibiae. Femora sometimes dark red.
Palps dark brown with white hairs on the median limbs.
Habitat
Warm sunny places with little vegetation. Builds a strikingly large fan-shaped silken retreat resembling a catching web, but not used as such.
Distribution
Mainly in Southern Europe, and in some places in Central Europe. Quite rare.
Period
Almost all year.