Duffey’s Bell-headed Spider Praestigia duffeyi
Duffey’s Bell-headed Spider (Praestigia duffeyi) is one of Britain’s rarest spiders – a tiny money spider (Linyphiidae) known from only a handful of sites nationally. It is associated with open, dry heathland and sandy grassland, and is named in honour of Eric Duffey, the eminent British ecologist and arachnologist. Suffolk’s Sandlings heathlands and Breckland represent potential strongholds for this nationally scarce species, and the county’s importance for rare heathland invertebrates makes it a priority area for targeted survey. As with many specialist heathland spiders, maintaining open, well-structured heathland through appropriate grazing and scrub management is essential for its survival. Image © P.R. Harvey, with kind permission.
Find out more: 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.
