A rare spider has been found at the WWT London Wetland Centre in Barnes, south-west London.
The female Enoplognatha caricis (E. caricis) – a species of cobweb spider that lives in wet, marshland habitats – was discovered by spider enthusiast Shreyas Kuchibhotla next to one of the reserve's ponds.
It's only the fourth time the species has been recorded in the UK since 1992: in 2009 at Castle Marshes in Suffolk, in 2019 in a garden centre in York, in 2020 at a pond in Gloucester, and now at the WWT London Wetland Centre.
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The British Arachnological Society lists E. caricis as extremely rare and vulnerable to extinction in both the UK and Europe.
The sighting at the London nature reserve is a testament to the site’s habitat management, says Callum Moore, Senior Reserve Warden at WWT London.
“WWT London’s Wild Side boasts small water channels that bend and weave through a combination of small grassland and wet fen areas, before reconnecting to the rest of the centre," explains Moore.
"We regularly clear out the vegetation from the water channels, making the edges vibrant and bushy spaces for small invertebrates, like this rare species, to thrive.
“Creating and protecting habitats that attract a wider range and breadth of rare species is ultimately the core of what WWT is about and why we exist. Wetlands are wondrous places where water meets land, and provide sanctuary to 40% of the world’s wildlife.
"It’s absolutely vital that the habitats at our centres are in the best condition they can be, to give vulnerable species like E. caricis, the best chance of survival,” says Moore.
Main image: female Enoplognatha photographed at WWT London. Credit: Shreyas Kuchibhotla
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