Caesetius spenceri

Caesetius spenceri
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Zodariidae
Genus: Caesetius
Species:
C. spenceri
Binomial name
Caesetius spenceri
(Pocock, 1900)[1]
Synonyms

Cydrelichus spenceri Pocock, 1900

Caesetius spenceri is a species of spider in the family Zodariidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa.[3]

Distribution

Caesetius spenceri is endemic to the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, where it has been recorded from localities including Port Elizabeth, Addo Elephant National Park, and East London.[3]

Habitat

The species inhabits the Thicket biome at altitudes ranging from 7 to 1415 m above sea level.[3]

Description

Known only from immature females. The carapace is deep castaneous (chestnut-colored), while the legs are clearer and scantily clothed with whitish and blackish hairs. The opisthosoma is ashy black, covered above and below with a scanty clothing of whitish and darker hairs, and ornamented beneath with four pale lines.[3]

Ecology

Caesetius spenceri are presumed to be free-living ground-dwellers like other members of the genus.[3]

Conservation

The species is listed as Data Deficient because it is known only from subadult specimens. More sampling is needed to discover and describe adult specimens. It is protected in Addo Elephant National Park.[3]

References

  1. ^ Pocock, R.I. (1900). "Some new Arachnida from Cape Colony". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 6 (33): 316–333. doi:10.1080/00222930008678382.
  2. ^ "Caesetius spenceri (Pocock, 1900)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Jocqué, R.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2024). The Zodariidae of South Africa. Part 1 (A-D) version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 26. doi:10.5281/zenodo.14404920. Retrieved 20 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.