Here’s a detailed natural history overview of the European nursery web spider (Pisaura mirabilis), a well-known and widespread hunting spider in Europe:

**European Nursery Web Spider (Pisaura mirabilis)**

Taxonomy & Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Family: Pisauridae (nursery web spiders)
Genus: Pisaura
Species: P. mirabilis

General Description

A medium-sized, long-legged hunting spider famous for its unique courtship behavior and maternal care.

Body length: 10–15 mm (males), 12–18 mm (females).
Coloration:
- Generally brown to grey with a pale stripe running down the carapace.
- Patterning variable, providing camouflage in vegetation and leaf litter.
Legs: Long, slender, and spiny; adapted for fast running rather than web building.
Eyes: Eight arranged in two rows, giving good vision.
Sexual Dimorphism: Females larger and bulkier; males slimmer.

Behavior & Lifestyle

Hunting:
- Active hunter; does not build a capture web.
- Stalks and ambushes prey such as flies, moths, and other small insects.
- Immobilizes prey with venom and silk.
Courtship:
- Males present females with a nuptial gift (a silk-wrapped insect).
- While the female examines the gift, the male attempts mating.
- This reduces the chance of male cannibalism.
Reproduction & Maternal Care:
- Female carries her egg sac attached to her chelicerae (mouthparts).
- When spiderlings are about to hatch, she builds a silken nursery web among vegetation.
- Guards the nursery until spiderlings disperse.
Activity: Most visible in spring and summer, often basking in sunny spots on grass or low shrubs.

Habitat

Prefers grasslands, meadows, hedgerows, forest edges, and gardens.
Likes sunny, open habitats with tall vegetation for hunting and nursery web construction.

Geographic Range

Widespread and common throughout Europe, from the British Isles across central and northern Europe.
Absent from some of the most northern and arid southern regions.

Ecological Role

Predator: Controls populations of flying insects and small arthropods.
Prey: Consumed by birds, larger spiders, and wasps.
Plays a role in balancing insect populations in grassland ecosystems.

Special Adaptations

Nuptial Gift Strategy: Increases mating success and male survival.
Maternal Care: Rare among spiders, providing added survival to offspring.
Camouflage: Brown mottled coloration blends perfectly with grasses and leaves.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List: Not assessed, but considered common and widespread.
Threats:
- Intensive agriculture and pesticide use.
- Habitat loss of flower-rich grasslands.
Still stable in much of Europe due to its adaptability.

Interesting Facts

Sometimes females steal nuptial gifts from one another, or males may attempt “cheating” by offering worthless gifts wrapped in silk.
Can be seen sunbathing with legs stretched forward, giving it a distinctive posture.
One of the few spiders in Europe that regularly carries its egg sac in the jaws rather than attached to the abdomen.
The name “nursery web” comes from the protective silk tent the female constructs for her young.