Their body is brownish with dark markings, the females being lighter colored.

The forked pedipalps and the resting posture, with the legs stretched to the sides, makes this species easy to identify, although the traditional method of collecting invertebrates does not prove adequate: of 103 individuals captured in Belgium, only one was found in a pitfall; all others were collected by hand.

Adults can be found from August to November, mostly in gardens and on outer walls, but sometimes also inside.

As early as 1957, it was reported in Bournemouth, southern England, from where it spread all over Great Britain, reaching Scotland in 2000.

In 2019, an individual photographed by iNaturalist user "kiwikiu" at Cannon Beach, Oregon, suggested the species' introduction into the United States.