Helafricanus insperatus

Helafricanus insperatus
female
female
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Salticidae
Genus: Helafricanus
Species:
H. insperatus
Binomial name
Helafricanus insperatus
Synonyms[2]
  • Heliophanus insperatus Wesołowska, 1986

Helafricanus insperatus is a species of spider in the family Salticidae.[2] It is endemic to Africa.[3]

Distribution

Helafricanus insperatus is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.[2]

In South Africa, it has been recorded from four provinces..[3]

Habitat and ecology

Helafricanus insperatus has been sampled by beating and sweeping vegetation in the Fynbos, Grassland, and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 290 to 1,414 m. The species was also sampled from citrus, cotton, and kenaf.[3]

Description

Conservation

Helafricanus insperatus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. In South Africa, it has been recorded from nine protected areas.[3]

Taxonomy

Helafricanus insperatus was originally described by Wesołowska in 1986 from Magaliesberg, Gauteng. Additional data was added by Wesołowska in 2003, and the species was transferred to Helafricanus by Wesołowska in 2024.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ Wesołowska, W. (1986). "A Revision of the Genus Heliophanus C. L. Koch, 1833 (Aranei: Salticidae)". Annales Zoologici, Warszawa. 40: 1–254.
  2. ^ a b c d "Helafricanus insperatus (Wesołowska, 1986)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  3. ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Walt, V. van der; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2025). The Salticidae of South Africa. Part 3 (He-Iran). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 11. doi:10.5281/zenodo.17103454. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.