About Ero aphana (Walckenaer, 1802)
Ero aphana (Walckenaer, 1802) reaches approximately three millimetres in total length, with females growing slightly larger than males. Its sternum is dark, with radiating pale markings across the posterior half, and a larger, irregular pale blotch across the anterior half. The species’ abdomen is broad and globular, and is light grey marked with darker brownish grey patches, craggy tubercles, and sparse hairs that emerge from orange spots. Its legs are hairy and pale, patterned with dark bands and one thin orange band. The front two pairs of legs have a marginal row of long, curved spines. This spider has a Palearctic native distribution across Western Europe, where it is most common in Belgium, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. It is included on the recorded fauna list for Parley Common, a Site of Special Scientific Interest located in Dorset, England. It has been introduced to Saint Helena, Queensland, and Western Australia. At the northern edge of its native distribution, this species is typically found on heather and other low vegetation in heathlands. This habitat pattern holds in England, where the species appears to be increasing in population; it occurs on dry heathland with patches of bare stony ground, and grows among sparse Ulex europaeus and Pinus sylvestris. In warmer regions of Europe, Ero aphana occupies a wider range of habitats, including coniferous forest edges, trees and bushes, and urban parks and gardens.
