| Author | Roberts, M.J. |
| Year | 1995 |
| Title | Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe |
| ISBN | 0 00 21981 5 |
| Series | Collins Field Guides |
| Type | Book/Report |
| How Complete | All the species known from Britain and Northern Europe at the time, excepting a few rarities and most of the smaller Linyphiids. |
| Source | Collins Field Guides, 383pp, HarperCollins |
| Illustrations | 32 colour plates of paintings in the middle. Numerous line drawings (mostly of palps and epigynes) accompany the text. |
| Review (by Malcolm Storey) | A guide to our larger spiders. The identification section begins with a key to sex and maturity. This is followed by a well-illustrated key to families. A couple of sections on egg sacs and webs follow (permitting family identification/confirmation, where appropriate). The main text surveys the families, genera and species, with keys to genera. The species desciptions include a few lines on habitat, phenology and distribution. Lline drawings of both epigyne and male palp - essential for confirmation of identification - are provided for each species. Linyphiidae are treated more superfiecially, with about 40 out of the 400 spp covered. The key only includes those species mentioned in the guide. The beautiful colour plates are a feature of this work, but it should be borne in mind that they are from specimens in alcohol so the colours may not be true to life. |
| Examine |  with x15 or x20 hand lens ( Stereo Microscope is also useful) |
| Specimen Preparation | Except for some of the larger species, spiders are generally identified as dead specimens in alcohol, preferably while still fresh. An alternative is to hold the spider in a "Spy Pot" made from two transparent plastic pots, cling film and a piece of polystyrene sheet - see p33. Either way good lighting is also needed. |
| Identification difficulty | Although many of the larger species are distinctive, spiders are not an easy group. |
