Uloboridae: Cribellate Orbweb Spiders
Hyptiotes – H. paradoxus
Uloborus – U. plumipes: U. walckenaerius
Habitat and ecology (U. plumipes)
U. plumipes is probably imported from Holland on pot plants and is able to survive in greenhouses where the winter temperature is maintained well above freezing. In this habitat it appears to be playing an effective role in controlling whitefly. At rest the spider resembles a small piece of dried vegetation. It spins a small horizontal, cribellate web up to 30 cm across (although this may be smaller if space is restricted) resembling that of U. walckenaerius. It may be seen, for example, spun across the tops of plant pots. The egg-sacs, varying from dark brown to pale cream in colour, are characteristically star-shaped and have been seen suspended from a mass of greyish cribellate silk. They are often the easiest way of confirming its presence. Information on the seasonal activity of the species is not available. Easily distinguished from Uloborus walckenaerius, the only other member of the genus found in Britain, by the feathery hairs on tibia 1.
https://srs.britishspiders.org.uk/portal.php/p/Summary/s/Uloborus+plumipes/u/4990/x/7d4772c5
The ‘Garden Centre’ Spider Uloborus plumipes in Yorkshire and adjacent areas