Haplodrassus splendens

Haplodrassus splendens
female
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Gnaphosidae
Genus: Haplodrassus
Species:
H. splendens
Binomial name
Haplodrassus splendens
(Tucker, 1923)
Synonyms
  • Drassodes splendens Tucker, 1923

Haplodrassus splendens is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.[1] It occurs in southern Africa.[2]

Distribution

Haplodrassus splendens is found in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and South Africa. Within South Africa, it is recorded from all nine provinces.[2]

Habitat and ecology

The species is a free-living ground dweller that inhabits the Fynbos, Grassland, Nama Karoo, Savanna, and Succulent Karoo biomes at altitudes ranging from 33 to 1,850 m above sea level.[2]

Description

Conservation

Haplodrassus splendens is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographic range. The species is protected in more than ten protected areas.[2]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by R.W.E. Tucker in 1923 as Drassodes splendens from Zimbabwe. In 2025, Yuri M. Marusik and Charles R. Haddad transferred the species to the genus Haplodrassus.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Haplodrassus splendens (Tucker, 1923)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d 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. pp. 71–72. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197174. Retrieved 22 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  3. ^ 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.