It’s not entirely straight forward to identify this species, often it’s a case of ruling out other species, however we are reasonably confident that with only 30 species recorded in Great Britain, we have got this one identified correctly.
At the time of writing this article, the Field Studies Council provided a useful online Identification Kit for Britain’s Harvestman 1*. Using this and other online material we feel Opilio canestrinii is the most likely species.
This species has been recorded in Great Britain since 1999 and the concern is as it spreads across the country it will oust other species of harvestman, a situation that has been recorded elsewhere in Europe as the species has spread north across the continent 1*.
DC: 29/05/2023
1: Harvestmen of Britain and Ireland: An interactive guide from the Field Studies Council (No author or date provided). Accessed online 29th May 2023. https://harvestmen.fscbiodiversity.uk/
Wildlife Garden 