Horse-head Spider (Stemonyphantes lineatus)

So named because the palps of the male of this species resemble a horse's head, this species has been on my 'bucket-list' for a long time.

Where did I eventually find it? In my front garden, less than one metre from my front door, where else!?

While this is a female, I did also find a male which you can just see in fuzzy outline at the front of the photograph. I managed a clear shot of him too before they both scuttled off, but the palps were not visible.

A beautifully coloured and marked species that has a scattered distribution throughout the UK, where it can be found for example, under stones, in animal burrows and in grass tussocks.

This is a member of the family Linyphiidae, commonly known as Sheet Weavers or Money Spiders.

While chalk downland is thought to be a preferred habitat, there are surprisingly few records on the chalk of the south downs?