Haplodrassus helenae
| Helena's Drassodes Ground Spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Gnaphosidae |
| Genus: | Haplodrassus |
| Species: | H. helenae
|
| Binomial name | |
| Haplodrassus helenae (Purcell, 1907)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Haplodrassus helenae is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.[1] It is endemic to South Africa.[2]
Etymology
The specific name helenae likely refers to St Helena Bay in the Western Cape, where the species was first described.
Distribution
Haplodrassus helenae is found across four provinces of South Africa: Gauteng, Limpopo, Western Cape, and Northern Cape.[2]
Habitat and ecology
The species is a free-living ground dweller that inhabits the Fynbos, Grassland, and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 635 to 1,730 m above sea level. It was collected in high numbers from the Springbok Flats area.[2]
Description
Haplodrassus helenae is known only from males.[2]
Conservation
Haplodrassus helenae is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range, despite being known from only one sex. The species is protected in Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve and Augrabies National Park.[2]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by W. F. Purcell in 1907 as Drassodes helenae. In 2025, Yuri M. Marusik and Charles R. Haddad transferred the species to the genus Haplodrassus.[3]
References
- ^ "Haplodrassus helenae (Purcell, 1907)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. part 1 (A-D). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 64. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197174. Retrieved 22 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ Marusik, Y.M.; Haddad, C.R. (2025). "On the placement and affiliations of the Drassodes species described from sub-Saharan Africa (Aranei: Gnaphosidae)". Arthropoda Selecta. 34 (1): 77–85. doi:10.15298/arthsel.34.1.07.