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A cucumber spider sitting on a leaf. It's a yellowish-brown spider, with a bright apple green abdomen

Araniella sp. © Frank Porch

A cucumber spider sitting on a cypress cone. It's a yellowish-brown spider with a bright apple green abdomen, looking a little like a squashed tennis ball

Arianella sp. © Tom Hibbert

Cucumber spider

There are several species of cucumber spider, recognised by their bright green abdomen.

Scientific name

Araniella cucurbitina

When to see

April to September

Species information

Statistics

Male length: 3.5-4mm
Female legnth: 4-6mm
Common

Habitats

About

Cucumber spiders are a common sight across the UK, found along the edges of woodlands, in hedgerows and many other habitats with trees or bushes. They spin small webs amongst the foliage to catch flying insects. Rather than hiding away, cucumber spiders often sit out in the open, relying on their green body to camouflage them as they wait to pounce on any prey caught in their web.

There are five British species of cucumber spider, four of which need to be viewed under a microscope to identify to species. Only two of these are common - Araniella cucurbitina and the virtually identical Araniella opisthographa.

How to identify

Both common species of cucumber spider have a glossy, yellowish-brown carapace and a bright, apple-green abdomen with paler sides. When seen from below, there is an obvious red spot just above the spinnerets.

Distribution

Common and widespread through England and Wales, scarcer in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Did you know?

The cucumber spider was first described in 1757 by Carl Clerck, a Swedish tax collector and amateur entomologist and arachnologist.