Although included in several recent books on British and European spiders, and listed as being absent from the British Isles, there are in fact a small number of British records of the large and stunningly attractive jumping spider, Philaeus chrysops (Poda, 1761). All records have been from in and around London, and, while there is no evidence of it having established a breeding population, it is a potential colonist.
Philaeus chrysops is an epilithobiont, a species associated with open, stony and rocky habitats, occurring up to an altitude of at least 380 m (R[ch367]ži[ch269]ka, 2000). The spider has only been widely recorded in the Mediterranean region, although there are records from eastern Europe and through Asia to Japan. The spider occurs through much of France, but is rare outside the south. It is rare in Poland and threatened with extinction and red-listed in Germany.
David Nellist was sent a male P. chrysops which had been collected on 18th June 1992 in the front garden of a house on the Cassiobury Estate, about 2 km west of Watford town centre (TQ095975). It appears that the specimen had been spotted just at the edge of the drive in front of the house, and that the car which occupied the drive had recently returned from the south of France. It was concluded that the specimen had hitched a lift and then dropped off onto the drive.
From PDF Newsletter of britishspiders.org. Link: http://www.britishspiders.org.uk/srs/srs48.pdf
Evidently quite rare in the UK 
A very interesting link Nick 8-) 8-)
It is indeed a
Philaeus chrysopsand it is fascinating that the author states the following, with especially the reference to climate change:
"While perhaps an unlikely colonist, it does occur at the
same latitudes as Southern England in Eastern Europe
(Prószy[ch324]ski, 1976), and in Lithuania at 54°23’N, 25°09’E,
at the same latitude as Northern England (Rëlys, 2000).
Considering how many species in other taxa are now
spreading North and expanding their range as a result of
climate change, we should not be too surprised should it
succeed in persisting through the English winter."
Trouble is I dislike them intensely, and just hope I am not around when Tarantulas start thriving in Southern England!!!!!!!
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Topic: What is this spider? (Read 2452 times)