Helafricanus nanus
| Small Helafricanus Sunny Jumping Spider | |
|---|---|
| female | |
| female | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Salticidae |
| Genus: | Helafricanus |
| Species: | H. nanus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Helafricanus nanus (Wesołowska, 2003)[1]
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Helafricanus nanus is a species of spider in the family Salticidae.[2] It is endemic to southern Africa and is commonly known as the small Helafricanus sunny jumping spider.[3]
Distribution
Helafricanus nanus is found in Namibia and South Africa.[2]
In South Africa, it is known from seven provinces. Notable locations include Grahamstown, Hogsback, Jeffrey's Bay, and Bloemfontein.[3]
Habitat and ecology
Helafricanus nanus is a plant-dwelling species collected from grasses and shrubs in the Grassland and Thicket biomes at altitudes ranging from 565 to 2,329 m. The species was also found in cotton, potato, and tomato fields and pecan nut orchards.[3]
Description
Conservation
Helafricanus nanus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide range. It has been sampled in more than ten protected areas.[3]
Etymology
The specific name "nanus" is Latin for "dwarf", a name often used for particularly small species.
Taxonomy
Helafricanus nanus was originally described in genus Heliophanus by Wesołowska in 2003 from Swartrus in the Free State. The species was transferred to Helafricanus by Wesołowska in 2024.[2][3]
References
- ^ Wesołowska, W. (2003). "New data on African Heliophanus species with descriptions of new species (Araneae: Salticidae)". Genus. 14: 249–294.
- ^ a b c d "Helafricanus nanus (Wesołowska, 2003)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ 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. 14. doi:10.5281/zenodo.17103454. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.