Caponia braunsi
| Braun's Orange Lungless Spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Caponiidae |
| Genus: | Caponia |
| Species: | C. braunsi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Caponia braunsi Purcell, 1904
| |
Caponia braunsi is a species of spider of the genus Caponia. It is endemic to South Africa.[1]
Distribution
Caponia braunsi has been recorded from the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces of South Africa.[2] The species is known from localities including Alicedale, Willowmore, and Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape, and the Swartberg Nature Reserve, Witteberg Nature Reserve, and Laingsburg in the Western Cape.[2]
Habitat
The species is a free-living ground dweller typically found on the ground surface. These spiders are active at night and are swift runners that pursue their prey over the ground. They usually rest during the day in small oval retreats built of transparent silk, stones and ground debris constructed under rocks, soil debris or in grass tussocks.[2]
Conservation
Caponia braunsi is listed as Data Deficient due to taxonomic reasons. The species is known from elevations ranging from 367 to 931 metres above sea level. The two collections in the Eastern Cape were made before 1904, but collections in the Western Cape from two protected areas are more recent. The status remains obscure and more sampling is needed to collect females and determine the species range.[2]
The species is protected in Addo Elephant National Park, Swartberg Nature Reserve, and Witteberg Nature Reserve.[2]
Description
Only males are currently known for this species.[2]
References
- ^ "Caponia braunsi Purcell, 1904". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). "The Caponiidae of South Africa". South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. 1: 1–24. doi:10.5281/zenodo.5913570. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.