Heriaeus allenjonesi
| Allen's Hairy Crab Spider | |
|---|---|
| female | |
| male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Heriaeus |
| Species: | H. allenjonesi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Heriaeus allenjonesi van Niekerk & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 2013[1]
| |
Heriaeus allenjonesi is a species of spider in the family Thomisidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as Allen's hairy crab spider.[3]
Distribution
Heriaeus allenjonesi is found only in South Africa.[2]
In South Africa, it is known from the provinces Free State, Northern Cape, and Western Cape.[3]
Habitat and ecology
Most specimens have been sampled from the Grassland and Fynbos biomes with pitfall traps from the soil surface at altitudes ranging from 582 to 1399 m.[3] The species has been collected from a variety of habitats ranging from rocky hillsides and gravel plains to the shore of a dam, while some were sampled by sweeping grassland.[3]
Description
-
female
-
male
-
male
-
juvenile male
Conservation
Heriaeus allenjonesi is protected in two reserves: Benfontein Nature Reserve and Erfenis Dam Nature Reserve.[3] Due to its large range, the species is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute.[3]
Etymology
The species is "named for Allen Jones of Mpetsane Conservation Estate in the Free State, in recognition of his contribution of spider photos to the South African National Survey of Arachnida Virtual Museum".[1]
Taxonomy
Heriaeus allenjonesi was described in 2013 from Bloemfontein by van Niekerk and Dippenaar-Schoeman.[1]
References
- ^ a b c van Niekerk, P.; Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S. (2013). "A revision of the crab spider genus Heriaeus Simon, 1875 (Araneae: Thomisidae) in the Afrotropical region". African Invertebrates. 54 (2): 447–476. Bibcode:2013AfrIn..54..447N. doi:10.5733/afin.054.0213.
- ^ a b "Heriaeus allenjonesi van Niekerk & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 2013". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ a b c d e f Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Thomisidae of South Africa. Part 1 A-Mo. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 34. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513274. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.