Heriaeus copricola
| Ground Hairy Crab Spider | |
|---|---|
| female | |
| female | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Heriaeus |
| Species: | H. copricola
|
| Binomial name | |
| Heriaeus copricola van Niekerk & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 2013[1]
| |
Heriaeus copricola is a species of spider in the family Thomisidae.[2] It is commonly known as the ground hairy crab spider.[3]
Distribution
Heriaeus copricola is found in Lesotho and South Africa.[2]
In South Africa, it is known from the provinces Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga.[3]
Habitat and ecology
Most specimens were collected with pitfall traps in the Grassland and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 418 to 2066 m. Heriaeus copricola was commonly sampled in Irene on the ground surface in grassland.[3]
Description
-
female
-
female
-
female
Conservation
Heriaeus copricola is protected in four reserves including Isandlwane Nature Reserve, Polokwane Nature Reserve, Mogalakwena Nature Reserve and Kruger National Park.[3] Due to its large range, the species is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute.[3]
Etymology
The specific name is derived from Latin copros (dung) and colere (to dwell in).[1]
Taxonomy
Heriaeus copricola was described in 2013 from Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal 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 copricola 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 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. 35. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513274. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.