Diaphractus leipoldti
| Diaphractus leipoldti | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Gnaphosidae |
| Genus: | Diaphractus |
| Species: | D. leipoldti
|
| Binomial name | |
| Diaphractus leipoldti | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Diaphractus leipoldti is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as Leipoldt's flat bellied ground spider.[3]
Distribution
Diaphractus leipoldti has been recorded from three South African provinces, Free State, Northern Cape, and Western Cape.[3] The species was originally described from Rondegat, Clanwilliam, in the Western Cape.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species inhabits Grassland and Fynbos biomes at altitudes ranging from 78 to 1,225 m above sea level.[3] Diaphractus leipoldti is a free-living ground dweller.[3]
Description
Conservation
Diaphractus leipoldti is listed as Data Deficient for taxonomic reasons by the South African National Biodiversity Institute.[3] Although the species has a wide geographical range, it is presently known only from one sex. The species is protected in the Kalkfontein Dam Nature Reserve.[3] More sampling is needed to collect males and determine the full extent of the species' range.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by W. F. Purcell in 1907 from Rondegat, Clanwilliam in the Western Cape.[1] The genus Diaphractus has not been revised but was included in the monograph of Tucker (1923) and Murphy (2007).[3]
References
- ^ a b Purcell, W.F. (1907). "New South African spiders of the family Drassidae in the collection of the South African Museum". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 20 (118): 313. doi:10.1080/00222930709487339.
- ^ "Diaphractus leipoldti Purcell, 1907". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. part 1 (A-D). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 56. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197174. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.