Heath Grasper Haplodrassus dalmatensis
The Heath Grasper (Haplodrassus dalmatensis) is a ground spider (Gnaphosidae) of open, dry heathland and sandy grassland, hunting nocturnally amongst sparse vegetation and bare ground rather than constructing a web. Nationally scarce, it is associated with the warm, well-drained sandy soils of southern and eastern England. Suffolk’s Sandlings heathlands and Breckland provide some of the most extensive areas of suitable habitat in Britain, and the county is likely important to the national population. Like many specialist heathland invertebrates, it is sensitive to scrub encroachment and vegetation rank growth, and maintaining open, structurally varied heathland through appropriate grazing and management is essential for its persistence. Image: © Marcello Consolo, Flickr.
Find out more: iNaturalist, British Arachnological Society
Suffolk’s Priority Spider and other Arachnid Species
Key
Listed as a conservation priority in Suffolk’s Biodiversity Action Plan.
Closely associated with Suffolk’s landscape and natural identity.
Identified as a key priority for recovery under Suffolk’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
Has a Species of the Month article attached.
