Metellina segmentata

I found this by suction. The date made it more likely to be segmentata than mengei but I needed to check the epigyne to be sure. The specimen wasn't in good condition but the epigyne was visible without dissection, but not clearly enough for my satisfaction so I macerated it in potassium hydroxide solution. The various views of epigynes at, for example, the Spiders of Europe website, show so many different parts and it's not always clear to me which bits tie up with what I'm looking at, but the text of the Collins guide helped me focus on what was important.

One of the spiders I looked at when I identified this had moulted in the pot, but I forgot to note which one. It's possible that it was this one, in which case it was immature in the live photos below.

female Metellina segmentata showing epigyne (1 before and 3 after clearing, the last in dorsal view i.e. from inside), Wendling Beck Environment Project (Norfolk, UK), 25th August 2025