Mermessus trilobatus (Emerton, 1882)
Description
Tibial apophysis rounded. Epigyne with caudally protruding lateral plates. Prosoma yellow-brown to orange-brown. Sternum orange. Legs brown to orange-brown. Opisthosoma grey to black.
Body length male: 1.6-2.1 mmBody length female: 1.6-2.1 mm
Additional information
In meadows, in litter layer of forests, in humid areas and sandy beaches. Widely distributed in North America, presumably imported to south-western Germany in the 1970ies by the US Army and dispersed from there.
This species of North American origin is not native to Europe (alien species). It had been introduced to Europe at least once and did establish.
Character states from linyphiid key
Distribution
Phenology
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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Figures
Pedipalp
(Millidge 1987)
Pedipalp
(van Helsdingen 1982a)
Pedipalp, retrolateral view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Palpal tibia, dorsal view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Tibial apophysis, dorsal view
(Millidge 1987)
Tibial apophysis, mesal view
(van Helsdingen 1982a)
Epigyne, antero-ventral view
(Millidge 1987)
Epigyne, ventral view
(Millidge 1987)
Epigyne
(van Helsdingen 1982a)
Epigyne
(Rozwałka 2010)
Epigyne, lateral view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Epigyne
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Millidge 1987)
Vulva, ventral view
(van Helsdingen 1982a)
Vulva
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Vulva, dorsal view
(Rehfeldt & Cassar 2024)
Vulva, ventral view
(Rehfeldt & Cassar 2024)
Vulva, ventral view
(Rehfeldt & Cassar 2024)
Tibia IV, lateral view
(Løvbrekke unpubl.)
Distribution List
"No references" does not mean that the species does not occur in this country, but that we have not yet inserted the reference for it. We are working on it.
References
Biteniekytė M, Valiulis J J, Skujienė G (2021) First record of Mermessus trilobatus (Emerton, 1882) (Araneae, Linyphiidae) in Lithuania. Bulletin of the Lithuanian Entomological Society 5: 114-117 
Blick T, Finch O-D, Harms K H, Kiechle J, Kielhorn K-H , Kreuels M, Malten A, Martin D, Muster C, Nährig D, Platen R, Rödel I, Scheidler M, Staudt A, Stumpf H, Tolke D (2016) Rote Liste und Gesamtartenliste der Spinnen (Arachnida: Araneae) Deutschlands. 3. Fassung, Stand April 2008, einzelne Änderungen und Nachträge bis August 2015. Naturschutz und Biologische Vielfalt 70/4: 383-510
Bosmans R, Van Keer K (2017) Een herziene soortenlijst van de Belgische spinnen (Araneae). Nieuwsbrief van de Belgische Arachnologische Vereniging 32: 39-69
Breuss W (1999) Über die Spinnen (Araneae) und Weberknechte (Opiliones) des Naturschutzgebietes Gsieg – Obere Mähder (Lustenau, Vorarlberg). Vorarlberg Naturschau 6: 215-236
Frick H (unpubl.) .
Grbić G, Hänggi A, Krnjajić S (2021) Spiders (Araneae) of Subotica Sandland (Serbia): additional arguments in environmental protection. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 67: 15-61
Helsdingen P J van (1982a) Eperigone trilobata revealed as a trans-American species. Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society 5: 393-396
Helsdingen P J van (2024a) Catalogus van de Nederlandse spinnen. Versie 2024.3. 252 pp.
Hirna A (2017a) First record of the alien spider species Mermessus trilobatus (Araneae: Linyphiidae) in Ukraine. Arachnologische Mitteilungen 54: 41-43
Kostanjšek R, Kuntner M (2015) Araneae Sloveniae: a national spider species checklist. ZooKeys 474: 1-91
Kreuels M, Staudt A, Christian S (2019) Die Spinnenfauna von Luxemburg – eine Zusammenstellung der Nachweise aus den Jahren 1906-2018 (Arachnida: Araneae). Bulletin de la Société des naturalistes luxembourgeois 121: 203-230
Lavery A (2019) A revised checklist of the spiders of Great Britain and Ireland. Arachnology 18: 196-212
Le Peru B (2007) Catalogue et répartition des araignées de France. Revue Arachnologique 16: 1-468
Lissner J, Scharff N (2019) Danish Spiders. Formerly online at http://www.danmarks-edderkopper.dk
Løvbrekke H (unpubl.)
Mandic A (unpubl.) .
Maurer R, Hänggi A (1990) Katalog der schweizerischen Spinnen. Documenta Faunistica Helvetiae 12
Mezőfi L, Markó V (2018) Some rare and remarkable spider species from Hungary (Arachnida: Araneae). Arachnologische Mitteilungen 55: 1-9
Millidge A F (1987) The Erigonine spiders of North America. Part 8. The Genus Eperigone Crosby and Bishop (Araneae, Linyphiidae). American Museum Novitates 2885: 1-75
Pantini P, Isaia M (2019) Araneae.it: the online catalog of Italian spiders, with addenda on other arachnid orders occurring in Italy (Arachnida: Araneae, Opiliones, Palpigradi, Pseudoscorpionida, Scorpiones, Solifugae). Fragmenta Entomologica 51: 127-152
Rehfeldt S, Cassar T (2024) A contribution to the arachnofauna (Arachnida: Araneae, Opiliones) of the Maltese Islands, with two new records for Europe. Arachnologische Mitteilungen 67: 18-47
Řezáč M, Růžička V, Hula V, Dolanský J, Machač O, Roušar A (2021) Spiders newly observed in Czechia in recent years – overlooked or invasive species? BioInvasions Records 10: 555-566
Rozwałka R (2010) Mermessus trilobatus (Emerton, 1882) (Araneae: Linyphiidae) – a new spider species to the Polish fauna. Przegląd Zoologiczny 52-54: 163-166
Růžička V, Řezáč M (2022a) Seznam pavouků České republiky. List of spiders of the Czech Republic. Online at https://www.arachnology.cz/seznam-pavouku-cr-26.html and https://www.arachnology.cz/en/seznam-pavouku-cr-26.html
Sammet K, Martinez M R, Tali K, Melts I (2023) New records of arthropods from the priority Natura 2000 habitats in Estonian coastal areas. Check List 19: 1029-1048
Šestáková A, Suvák M, Krajčovičová K, Kaňuchová A, Christophoryová J (2017) Arachnids from the greenhouses of the Botanical Garden of the PJ Šafárik University in Košice, Slovakia (Arachnida: Araneae, Opiliones, Palpigradi, Pseudoscorpiones). Arachnologische Mitteilungen 53: 19-28
Vasiliev A I, Mikhailov K G (2023) Annotated checklist of spiders (Araneae) of the Republic of Moldova. Invertebrate Zoology 20: 307-342
WSC (2025) World Spider Catalog. Version 26. Natural History Museum Bern, online at http://wsc.nmbe.ch (28.2.2025) doi: 10.24436/2
Updates
| 02-04-2025 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 20-06-2024 | Image insert | |
| 22-01-2024 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 20-12-2023 | Distribution insert | Detail |
| 24-04-2022 | Distribution insert | Detail |
| 05-02-2022 | Distribution insert | Detail |
| 05-08-2021 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 22-02-2021 | Distribution insert | Detail |
| 17-01-2021 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 12-05-2020 | Distribution insert | Detail |
| 04-04-2019 | Datasheet update | Detail |
| 07-12-2018 | Datasheet update | Detail |
| 22-05-2018 | Image insert | |
| 16-08-2017 | Distribution update | Detail |
| 03-02-2017 | Image insert |