Austrachelas sexoculatus
| Six-eyed Long-Jawed Ground Spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Gallieniellidae |
| Genus: | Austrachelas |
| Species: | A. sexoculatus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Austrachelas sexoculatus Haddad, Lyle, Bosselaers & Ramírez, 2009
| |
Austrachelas sexoculatus is a species of spider in the family Gallieniellidae. It is endemic to South Africa.[1]
Etymology
The species name sexoculatus derives from Latin, meaning "six-eyed", referring to the spider's unusual eye arrangement.
Distribution
Austrachelas sexoculatus is endemic to the Eastern Cape province and is known only from East London at an elevation of 68 m above sea level.[2]
Habitat
The species was sampled from the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt Biome.[2]
Description
Only the male is known. The carapace is deep-red, and the opisthosoma is dark grey on the dorsal side and cream on the lateral and ventral sides.[2]
Conservation
Austrachelas sexoculatus is listed as Data Deficient due to taxonomic reasons. The species is known only from an old collection from 1916 in an area highly transformed for human settlement. The species is likely threatened by habitat loss for infrastructure development in East London. Additional sampling is needed to collect females and determine current status.[2]
References
- ^ "Austrachelas sexoculatus Haddad, Lyle, Bosselaers & Ramírez, 2009". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Mbo, Z.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Gallieniellidae of South Africa (Report). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 1–37. doi:10.5281/zenodo.14065070. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.