Within a few years, the Nosferatus spider, which comes from the Mediterranean region, has spread across almost all of Germany. This is shown by the first results of a call for reports by NABU and the observation portal NABU-naturgucker.de.

The Nosferatus spider is found almost exclusively in buildings. In Germany, the species was first discovered in Freiburg im Breisgau in 2005. By summer 2022, 500 observations had already been registered on NABU-naturgucker.de - two weeks after the start of the NABU call, there are now around 16,000. NABU expert Dr. Roland Mühlethaler surprises:

“The topic caught fire with the media as well as with the audience. One reason is certainly the species' proximity to humans and its impressive size. There’s also a certain spooky factor; naming it after a silent film vampire also stimulates the imagination.”

Even though there are now reports from all corners of the republic, the main areas of spread remain in the south and west. The Nosferatus spider occurs almost everywhere, especially along the Rhine, Neckar and Ruhr. To the north and east the evidence thins out noticeably.

“Our call for registration therefore continues to apply,” emphasizes Mühlethaler. “We look forward to any additional observations via www.NABU.de/Nosferatu . Photos are particularly valuable because this allows the species to be reliably identified. This applies to all regions, but especially to the east of the republic. There is only one photo document from Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.”

Although it is occasionally found outdoors, the Nosferatus spider, which needs warmth, like many other spider species, moves indoors in autumn at the latest. With a body length of up to two centimeters and a leg span of around five centimeters, it is one of the largest building dwellers, along with the house spider. The nosferatus spider can bite noticeably, but only very rarely does so when directly threatened. The bite is comparable to a light insect sting. As a nocturnal hunter, the Nosferatu keeps the population of flies and other insects in the house low.

Please also read: Unnecessary scaremongering. The Nosferatu Spider: Scary name, but harmless and has been here for a long time

www.NABU.de/Nosferatu by September 15th . Review of 7,900 images showed that 84 percent of the determinations were correct. Slightly more than half of the incorrect identifications were for the large house spider and other spiders; these species look most similar to the Nosferatus spider. More information and report a Nosferatu spider: www.NABU.de/Nosferatu

Secure image evidence of the Nosferatus spider in the federal states

  • Schleswig-Holstein: Isolated reports from all parts of the country, but so far only a single photo credit from Rendsburg.
  • Hamburg: A new proof from Rahlstedt, one from Wandsbek as early as 2021.
  • Bremen: Photo credits from Grolland, Fesenfeld and Steintor.
  • Lower Saxony: Evidence from Oldenburg (several times), Nordenham, Leer (several times), Moormerland, near Aurich, Osnabrück (several times), Nienburg (several times), Lahn near Werlte. Hanover area: Bissendorf, Isernhagen, Ilten, Gehrden, Laatzen, Seelze. In the south and east Braunschweig (many times), Salzgitter, near Wolfsburg, Einbeck, near Nörten-Hardenbeck, Göttingen (many times), Holzminden.
  • Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Several reports, but no photo credit yet.
  • Brandenburg: Several reports, but no photo credit yet.
  • Berlin: Numerous reports, including six photo credits: Steglitz, Zehlendorf, several times in Britz, (including in the Hufeisensiedlung), on the edge of Tempelhofer Feld. No evidence north of the Spree yet.
  • Saxony-Anhalt: Several reports, photo credits only from the Harz region: South Harz near Sangershausen and near Nordhausen as well as near Thale on the northern edge.
  • Thuringia: Around a dozen photo credits, including from Hörselberg am Hainich, near Gotha, near Buttelstedt, from Eichsfeld (several times), from Ilmenau, near Hildburghausen and near Jena.
  • Saxony: Several reports, but only a single photo credit from Leipzig.
  • NRW: Evidence almost everywhere in the Rhineland and the Ruhr area. Thinned out towards Münsterland, north to Lengerich. Sauerland and adjacent low mountain ranges without photo credits. Evidence from the eastern Ruhr area/East Westphalia/Lippe: Bünde, Hamm, Bielefeld, Lage, Minden, Rheda-Wiedenbrück.
  • Hesse: Almost everywhere in the south on the plain, occasionally extending into the Odenwald. Only very occasionally in the Taunus. Middle Hesse including Neu-Anspach, Bad Nauheim, Biebertal, Friedberg, Gedern, Limburg, Waechtersbach, Weilburg, Wölfersheim. North and East Hesse: Baunatal, Frielendorf, Gudensberg, several times Kassel.
  • Rhineland-Palatinate: Almost everywhere along the Rhine and in the Vorderpfalz. Palatinate Forest and West Palatinate very rare, evidence from Kaiserslautern, Weilerbach, Winnweiler. Moselle region: Trier, Valwig and Zell. Hunsrück: Kastellaun.
  • Saarland: Photo credits from Dillingen, Elversberg, several times Saarbrücken (Mitte, West, Rotenbühl, Bübingen), Völklingen.
  • Baden-Württemberg: Practically nationwide along the Rhine and in the Neckarland. Evidence in the higher altitudes and thinning out towards the east, east of Stuttgart to Göppingen and Schwäbisch-Gmünd. Outside the core area include Ravensburg, Biberach, Ulm, also Waldenburg and Schwäbisch Hall (several times), in the northeast Bad Mergentheim.
  • Bavaria: Focus on the metropolitan regions of Munich and Nuremberg. Evidence from Lower Franconia: Schweinfurt (many times), Karlstadt, Prichsenstadt (district of Kitzingen). Middle and Upper Franconia: on the Thuringian border near Bad Rodach, Nuremberg (several times), Fürth, near Erlangen, Eckental, Forchheim, Röttenbach. Lower Bavaria: Landshut, Bavarian Forest: near Freyung, Upper Bavaria: Ingolstadt, Geretsried, Penzberg, Raubling, Rosenheim. Munich: Old Town, Aubing, Hart, Laim, Milbertshofen, Neuhausen, Nymphenburg, Perlach, Steinhausen; Munich area: Dachau, Erding, Germering, Puchheim, Gauting. Swabia: Augsburg and the surrounding area (in many cases), Illertissen, near Donauwörth, Neu-Ulm.

Source: Nabu


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