Spiders
Royal Mail issued a set of 10 stamps on September 26 on the subject of Spiders.
Of the 48,000 species of spiders recorded worldwide, around 680 are found in the UK. They live in almost every habitat, from windswept mountain tops to deep caves, and from ancient woodlands to human dwellings.
Many people have an adverse reaction to them, perhaps due to the large house spiders that invade our homes and garden sheds. Other species, however, are complex creatures with fascinating lifestyles.
Spiders have eight legs and two parts to the body: the cephalothorax (head and chest) and the abdomen. Body length (excluding legs) varies from as little as 2mm to as much as 22mm.
Most spiders have eight eyes, but some have just six. Females are generally larger than males, extravagantly so in a few cases.
The species found in the UK feed almost exclusively on invertebrates, and perform a vital role in controlling pests.
Some spin complex orb webs, in which flying insects become entrapped. Others weave tunnels of silk in burrows underground, with exposed sections at the surface that entangle passing insects.
But webs are not the only means of catching prey. Some spiders run and chase it, others leap to capture it, and some simply lie in wait, often in flowerheads, and ambush it.
Gossamer (spider silk) has other purposes beyond spinning webs. It may also be used to create protective sacs for eggs, or cocoons for newly hatched spiderlings, or for ‘ballooning’, a dispersal method in which the spider spins a long thread which will be caught by the wind, allowing it to travel considerable distances.
The stamps were designed by Royal Mail Group, based on illustrations by Richard Lewington. Printed in litho by Cartor, they are available in se tenant strips of five.
2nd class SAND BEAR SPIDER
The sand bear spider, Arctosa perita, is widespread but its very effective camouflage allows it to blend in superbly with its sandy or heathland habitats. The female carries her eggs in a silken sac, and when the spiderlings hatch they ride on her back for a few days before dispersing.
2nd class CUCUMBER SPIDER
The cucumber spider, Araniella cucurbitina, is one of the UK's smaller orbweb spiders, easy to recognise with its bright-green abdomen. Commonly found in gardens, it spins a small web, often across just a single large leaf of a tree or bush.
2nd class WOODLAND JUMPING SPIDER
The woodland jumping spider, Evarcha falcata, is widespread throughout England and Wales, found in the foliage of trees and among heather and gorse in woodland clearings. The male (illustrated on the stamp) has a more distinctive appearance than the female, with his brown, black and white colours.
2nd class FOUR-SPOTTED ORBWEB SPIDER
The four-spotted orbweb spider, Araneus quadratus, is found throughout Britain, in rough grassland and heathland, spinning a web up to 40cm in diameter in robust vegetation. It ranges in colour from yellowy green through cherry-red to chocolate-brown, but always has four conspicuous white spots on its abdomen.
2nd class NURSERYWEB SPIDER
The nurseryweb spider, Pisaura mirabilis, is a large, long-legged species recognisable from the thin, pale line along the centre of its cephalothorax. The female spins a tent-like web in tall grass as a protective 'nursery' for her spiderlings, and this is a common sight on road verges and rough grassland throughout much of England in the late spring.
1st class LADYBIRD SPIDER
The ladybird spider, Eresus sandaliatus, is one of Britain’s most colourful but rarest species. It spends almost its entire life underground in a silk-lined burrow, feeding on prey entangled in its well camouflaged sticky silk mat. It’s the male (illustrated on the stamp) that sports the striking, ladybird-like markings, while the female is velvety-black.
1st class CANDY-STRIPED SPIDER
The candy-striped spider, Enoplognatha ovata, is a long-legged species found throughout the UK, but usually hidden away in low vegetation. There are three quite different colour forms, with a plain yellow abdomen, a single wide red band or two red bands (illustrated in the stamp).
1st class WASP SPIDER
The wasp spider, Argiope bruennichi, is one of Britain’s largest and most colourful orbweb weavers, easily recognised by the yellow and black bands on its abdomen. In southern England the female spins a web low down in unmanaged grassland to catch grasshoppers, her main prey.
1st class ZEBRA SPIDER
The zebra spider, Salticus scenicus, with its contrasting black and white stripes, favours vertical surfaces exposed to sunlight as hunting ground. It can be therefore be found on house and garden walls on warm, sunny days.
1st class HEATHER CRAB SPIDER
The heather crab spider, Thomisus onustus, is restricted to a few lowland heaths in southern England. The female (illustrated on the stamp) has a distinctive triangular abdomen and is usually pink, enabling her to hide from predators in the flowers of heather plants, but she can change colour to yellow or white to camouflage herself in other vegetation.
ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS
The presentation pack delves deeper into the world of spiders. A first day cover and stamp cards are also available.
PRICES
Set of 10 stamps £11.00
Presentation pack £11.90
First day cover £13.85
Stamp cards £4.50
VERDICT
COMMEMORATIVE WORTH 2/5
It’s a straightforward thematic issue, but spiders were overdue some attention in this part of the stamp programme.
QUALITY OF DESIGN 2/5
Entirely dependent on the quality of the artwork, the treatment follows Royal Mail’s well-established format for flora and fauna subjects.
WOW FACTOR 4/5
The illustrations are spectacularly detailed and coloured, revealing creatures which are hard to appreciate with the naked eye.
