Course: Introduction to Spider Identification - Online

There are over 650 spider species in the British Isles and despite being an invertebrate that is commonly found in our homes and gardens, relatively few people know how to identify the different species.

Join our tutor to discuss the identification features of a variety of UK spider species that can be identified in the field. During this beginner course, you will be introduced to more advanced morphological features which will aid with the accurate identification of 8 of the UK’s spider families, 8 distinctive genera and 10 distinctive species of spiders found in Britain.

What topics are covered in this course?

• Spider Field ID Features
• Distinctive Spider Families
• Identifying Distinctive Species in the Field
• Distinctive Genera and Recording Spiders

Learn about the different groups of spiders and how to tell them apart, including Jumping Spiders (Salticidae), Comb-footed Spiders (Theridiidae), Crab Spiders (Thomisidae) Orbweb Spiders (Araneidae), Wolf Spiders (Lycosidae), and Long-jawed Orbweb Spiders (Tetragnathidae), among others.

This course will give you an introduction to the identification of distinctive spider families and species.

This course discusses the use of the Field Studies Council fold-out Guide to House and Garden Spiders by Bee and Lewington, and Britain’s Spiders: A Field Guide by Bee, Oxford and Smith (Second edition) although neither are necessary to complete the course.

This is a 4-week online course covering 4 topics, for which you will complete a variety of self-led online resources and activities. Each topic is then concluded with an interactive Zoom workshop to complement the online content. Time commitment is approximately 3-5 hours a week and an E-certificate is provided upon completion.

This course is eligible for a student discount. If you are a current student, please use discount code BioStudent20 at checkout for 20% off.

Please refer to the Field Studies Council website for further information and to book.