Arachnids · Araneae · Segestriidae

Green Tube-web Spider

Segestria florentina

Not Evaluated

It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria. See full glossary

The green tube-web spider — known in Spanish as araña florentina — is an araneomorph spider of the family Segestriidae. It is the largest European spider of its family, and the type species of both its genus and its family. The body of the females measures 13-22 mm, while the males measure 10-42 mm. They are characterised by their striking iridescent green chelicerae, more marked in females than in males. The colouring of the prosoma and legs ranges from dark brown to black; the opisthosoma (abdomen) is paler and bears a dark longitudinal band on its upper surface formed by contiguous triangular blotches. In some females the whole abdomen turns almost black and these blotches are less evident.

Size

up to 2.2 cm

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Unknown

Temperate forestCarnivore Nocturnal Solitary Temperate forest Arachnid

19countries

Fun facts

Its chelicerae gleam a metallic emerald green, a colour exceedingly rare among European spiders.
It sits in its tube with its six front legs resting on the radial threads, which act as trip wires, and strikes within hundredths of a second.
It is one of the European spiders whose bite is distinctly painful, though without serious consequences.
It is the largest segestriid in Europe: the female reaches a body length of 22 mm.
It lives inside a silk tube in a crevice, from which radial threads run out as trip wires. When prey brushes against one, it shoots out, bites and retreats into the tube.
Its chelicerae have a striking metallic green iridescence, which is where the name green-fanged tube web spider comes from.
It reached Britain through the ports, probably from 1845 onwards, and there it is still associated with port cities.