Andromma raffrayi
| Andromma raffrayi | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Liocranidae |
| Genus: | Andromma |
| Species: | A. raffrayi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Andromma raffrayi | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Andromma raffrayi is a species of spider in the family Liocranidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa.[3]
Distribution
Andromma raffrayi is found in South Africa, with records from the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces.[3] Notable locations include Cape Town, the slopes of Devil's Peak in Table Mountain National Park, Stellenbosch, and Willowmore.
Habitat and ecology
The species inhabits Fynbos and Thicket biomes at altitudes ranging from 5 to 861 m above sea level.[3] These free-living ground-dwelling spiders have been found in association with ant colonies, with Tucker (1923) collecting males and females from nests of Plagiolepis custodiens ants in the Western Cape Province.
Description
Andromma raffrayi is known from both sexes.[3]
Conservation
Andromma raffrayi is listed as Data Deficient due to limited knowledge of its distribution range.[3] The species has been recorded from only a few specimens across two provinces, and more sampling is needed to determine its true range and conservation status. It is currently protected within Table Mountain National Park.
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1899, with the type locality given only as "Bonae Spei" (Cape of Good Hope) without exact coordinates.[1] The subspecies Andromma raffrayi inhacorense was described by Lessert in 1936 from Inhacoro, Mozambique, but was later synonymized with the nominate form by Bosselaers & Jocqué in 2022.[3]
References
- ^ a b Simon, E. (1899). "Description d'une araignée myrmécophile du Cap de Bonne-Espérance (Andromma Raffrayi n. sp.)". Bulletin de la Société Entomologique de France. 4 (10): 179–181. doi:10.3406/bsef.1899.22367.
- ^ "Andromma raffrayi Simon, 1899". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 23 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Liocranidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 6. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6735570. Retrieved 23 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.