User:Gandru/Nothophantes horridus

Horrid ground weaver

Info for Taxobox (broken)

Horrid ground weaver (Nothophantes horridus) Merrett & Stevens, 1995 is a spider belonging to the family Linyphiidae.

It is the only known species of the genus Nothophantes.

Description
The Horrid ground-weaver has a total body length of 2.5mm. It has a bristly body and palps. It is thought to be nocturnal and troglodytic.

The name comes from the Greek Notho (spurious) and Hyphantes (weaver), and the Latin horridus (bristly).

Distribution and conservation status
The species has only been found in two quarries in England, near the city of Plymouth, and as such is believed to be endemic to that country. One of the two sites has since been built on. The other site is the subject of a planning inquiry.

Nothophantes horridus was classed as a Critically Endangered priority species under the United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan in 2007 and as a Species of Principal Importance under the Natural_Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 in 2008. These classifications continue under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework published in 2012.

Taxonomy
The species has been described from a total of 9 specimens found between 1989 and 1997.