Spiders in Italy

[Nir Avraham]

Hello,

Next month I will fly to Italy. What interesting spiders can I find there?
Can I find diving bell spiders there?

Thanks,
Nir

 

[Lucky Luciano]

Sicily has a dwarf tarantula called Ischnocolus triangulifer. If you speak Italian this thread might be useful (or use google translate) http://forum.aracnofilia.org/topic/9524-ischnocolus-triangulifer

 

[Hanska]

Lycosa tarantula.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

Lycosa tarantula.

Lycosa tarantula, and "all" the spiders you want. As a child, long time ago, mine were Cheiracanthium punctorium (btw, the only spider that bitten me, at 10 years, but i asked for that, plus i was almost drunk) Loxosceles rufescens, Argiope bruennichi, Tegenaria domestica, Segestria florentina etc
There's the mediterranean "Black Widow", same family, Therididiidae. Latrodectus tredecimguttatus who caused four fatalities, two of them near the "cinque terre" (five lands) of Liguria region. Not anymore spotted, btw.

Theraphosidae.. there's only (as far as i know, never say never) Ischnocolus triangulifer, but it's more than HARD to find, and this only in Sicilia (Sicily) in the wild near Trapani town. He's a burrower, not really a giant in size, OW Theraphosidae.

There's a lot of OW trapdoors Mygalomorphae recently spotted in the northern part of the boot, still under a better investigation. Trapdoors like Cteniza sauvagesi, common in Sardegna island and in Corsica.

As for OP question, if you mean Argyroneta acquatica, yes, but it's very very rare, and at risk due to man made actions in their enviroment.

There's all the spiders you want, except for Theraphosidae (only one sp.)

On a side note: keep in mind that, in Italy, own a spider (local native species included) a Theraphosidae (Tarantulas) ALL species, a scorpion (ALL species) is against the law, thanks to a stupid ignorant as hell 2003 law.
Of course, no one will have something to say if you search with a catch cup... no one, ah ah.

Good luck

 

[The Snark]

I think Dr. Theodore Stephanides wrote some papers that included spider species in the northern Mediterranean area. Would be worth searching. He was a world class biologist along the lines of Darwin and had a lot of catching and keeping techniques documented as well as where to find what.