On the 25/02/25 I visited St Mary’s Church, Wistaston (SJ681536) by torchlight to collect spiders, harvestmen and woodlice. Amongst a reasonable catch of eleven species of spider was a subadult female Ero aphana. Due to its similar size and appearance to Theridion type species it is easily overlooked in the field and on most of the occasions I have collected this species it isn’t until it is under the microscope I realise I have collected it.

I have found this species in a previous garden (in Lincolnshire) by collecting all of the Theridion size spiders by torchlight one night. These were mostly found under overhangs of the windows and their ledges, under the eaves of the rooves, from the open porch and from the corners of the bungalow’s walls. Amongst the twenty specimens collected were three species of Theridion (T. melanurum, T. mystaceum, T. tinctum) and a single female Ero aphana. There is a similarity with Cryptachaea blattea with both spiders being background species, almost hiding in plain sight.