Is there a insect id on here yet?

[Scottie]

Was working in a garden last week and I was doing a bit of stump grinding (as usual) and a bright red velvet looking spider caught my eye. I first thought it might have been a shield bug but on closer inpection it had 8 legs. It was only about 4mm big and on its back there were markings similar to the garden spiders that you can get. The amazing thing about it was how bright red it was and it looked velvety. Anybody got a clue?

 

Cheers

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

give me a minute

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

did it look like this?

 

[big fell!]

No common name but "Dysdera crocata" fits the bill but its a wee bit bigger than the beastie you speak of. Courtesy of my trusty Collins British wildlife book!

[Scottie]

I think it did. It could also pull its legs in like a spider in a defensive posture. I dropped it a couple of times and tried to pick it up. It was so small I couldnt easily pick it up because of blades of grass.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Then its a mite rather than a spider, its a predator too so good!

[Scottie]

Are you going to tell me that it could be a velvet mite?

[Arborowen]

Evil! its got to be evil! as its red. If it disapeared when it entered the grass it likley entered a parellel dimension. Where it is the largest spider of all. Damn those arcnid kibgs!! (shakes fist).

[big fell!]

Evil! its got to be evil! as its red. If it disapeared when it entered the grass it likley entered a parellel dimension. Where it is the largest spider of all. Damn those arcnid kibgs!! (shakes fist).

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Are you going to tell me that it could be a velvet mite?

 

I was suggesting it could be?