Japan's Spiders & Arachnids

About this book

Eight legs, six kinds of web, and one whole country to watch them in. Japan's spiders are everywhere once you learn to look — joro spiders spanning the autumn shrine paths in gold, banded orb-weavers writing zigzags through their webs, fishing spiders standing on pond water, huntsmen patrolling the walls of old houses, and tiny jumpers turning their great eyes to watch you back. This complete guide gives you 200 arachnid accounts in one uniform, honest format: identification (starting with the web key — orb, sheet, funnel, cobweb, purse, or no web at all), habitat and range, seasons and behaviour, and ethical, distance-only watching for every single one. Island populations and introduced species are clearly labelled, harvestmen, pseudoscorpions, mites and ticks get their own honestly-labelled part, venom is handled with calm facts instead of fear, and every account reminds you to verify current facts with official sources — so you can plan a year of spider watching in Japan with confidence and without disturbing a single web.