Harmochirus luculentus

Harmochirus luculentus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Salticidae
Genus: Harmochirus
Species:
H. luculentus
Binomial name
Harmochirus luculentus
Simon, 1886[1]
Synonyms[2]
  • Ballus brachiatus Thorell, 1877
  • Harmochirus malaccensis Simon, 1886
  • Harmochirus nervosus Thorell, 1890
  • Harmochirus brachiatus Simon, 1903
  • Harmochirus bruchiatus Barrion & Litsinger, 1994
  • Harmochirus insulanus Namkung, 2002

Harmochirus luculentus is a species of jumping spider in the family Salticidae.[2] It is found across multiple countries in Africa and is commonly known as the Tanzanian Harmochirus jumping spider.[3]

Distribution

Harmochirus luculentus has been recorded from Botswana, Congo Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.[2]

In South Africa, the species is known from Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, North West, and Western Cape.[3] Notable locations include Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, Hluhluwe Nature Reserve, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Ndumo Game Reserve, and Tembe Elephant Park.[3]

Habitat and ecology

The species is found on flowers, buds and leaves, especially their tips, and is occasionally found on walls and bark and once on the ground.[3] The spiders run with legs I forward and the abdomen moves up and down constantly.[3] Adults are present from August to February during the hot dry and hot wet seasons.[3] The species is sampled from the Fynbos, Forest, Grassland, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 10 to 1602 m.[3]

Description

Conservation

Harmochirus luculentus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range.[3] The species is protected in several protected areas with no known threats.[3]

Taxonomy

The species was redescribed by Logunov in 2001.[4] Both sexes are known.[3]

References

  1. ^ Simon, E. 1886. Etudes arachnologiques. 18e Mémoire. XXVI. Matériaux pour servir à la faune des Arachnides du Sénégal. (Suivi d'une appendice intitulé: Descriptions de plusieurs espèces africaines nouvelles). Annales de la Société Entomologique de France (6) 5, pages 345–396
  2. ^ a b c "Hasarius adansoni (Audouin, 1826)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Van der Walt, V.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2025). The Salticidae of South Africa. Part 2 (E-Ha). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 62. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15266589. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  4. ^ Logunov, D.V. (2001). "A redefinition of the genera Bianor Peckham & Peckham, 1885 and Harmochirus Simon, 1885, with the establishment of a new genus Sibianor gen. n. (Aranei: Salticidae)". Arthropoda Selecta. 9 (4): 221–286.