Diphya vanderwaltae
| Vanderwalt's Diphya Web Spider | |
|---|---|
| Dorsal view of Diphya vanderwalta | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Tetragnathidae |
| Genus: | Diphya |
| Species: | D. vanderwaltae
|
| Binomial name | |
| Diphya vanderwaltae Omelko, Marusik & Lyle, 2020[1]
| |
Diphya vanderwaltae is a species of spider in the family Tetragnathidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as Vanderwalt's Diphya web spider.[3]
Distribution
Diphya vanderwaltae is known only from Cwebe Nature Reserve in the Eastern Cape.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species was collected while sifting leaf litter from coastal dune forest.[3] The species range is very small.[3]
Description
The species is only known from females.The female of Diphya vanderwaltae is small (total length ~3.3 mm (0.13 in)) and predominantly dark: a dark-brown carapace with an indistinct median band, a uniformly black sternum, dark-grey femora with fine yellowish longitudinal lines, and a largely patternless dark-grey abdomen with a few guanine spots; the epigyne bears a triangular septum with closely spaced copulatory openings. [1]
Conservation
Diphya vanderwaltae is listed as Data Deficient by the South African National Biodiversity Institute for taxonomic reasons.[3] A rare species, more sampling is needed around Cwebe to determine the range and to collect males.[3]
References
- ^ a b Omelko, M.M.; Marusik, Y.M.; Lyle, R. (2020). "A survey of Diphya Nicolet, 1849 (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) from South Africa". Zootaxa. 4899 (1): 259–279. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4899.1.14.
- ^ "Diphya vanderwaltae Omelko, Marusik & Lyle, 2020". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ a b c d e f Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2023). The Tetragnathidae of South Africa. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 9. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513261. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.