Ladybird spider  (Eresus sandaliatus)

Loss and neglect of habitat is the chief reason for the scarcity of the ladybird spider. Their existing patch of Dorset heath is threatened by invading rhododendron scrub and pine seedlings.

By 1993 it was estimated that there were probably no more than 50 individuals left in Britain and the ladybird spider was added to English Nature's Species Recovery Programme. The first priority was to manage the spiders' existing site and enlarge the area of suitable habitat. The next task was to establish a captive breeding colony. It was considered too risky to take spiders from the Dorset colony so, in partnership with the Federation of Zoological Gardens and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, English Nature obtained permission to collect spiders from Denmark. Captive mating was successfully achieved in 1995. A large number of spiderlings hatched and these were taken into the care of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Martin Mere Nature Reserve Centre in Lancashire since when some have been reared to maturity.

The Dorset spider site was enlarged by clearing Rhododendron and pine with the help of the Forestry Commission and the ladybird spiders began extending their territory with the help of some hot, dry summers. By 1996, the number of burrows counted had reached 139. Other suitable heathland sites have been surveyed and, with the lessons learned from the Danish spider colony, hopes were high that an establishment using captive bred British spiders could get underway. However, the UK wild population of ladybird spiders seems to be increasing very happily. By the end of the summer of 2000 nearly 600 individuals had been counted and eight occupied burrows were moved successfully. This has led to a change of plan and the Dorset site may now prove sufficiently established to allow re-introductions to be made to former known sites using pure-bred UK spiders instead of captive bred ones.