Hexophthalma spatulata
| Hexophthalma spatulata | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Sicariidae |
| Genus: | Hexophthalma |
| Species: | H. spatulata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Hexophthalma spatulata | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Hexophthalma spatulata is a species of spider in the family Sicariidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa.[3]
Distribution
Hexophthalma spatulata is known from two provinces in South Africa, the Eastern Cape and Western Cape. It occurs at altitudes ranging from 4 to 756 m above sea level.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species is a free-living ground dweller found in the Fynbos biome.[3]
Description
Conservation
Hexophthalma spatulata is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. The species is protected in Addo Elephant National Park, De Hoop Nature Reserve and Kammanasie Nature Reserve.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1900 as Sicarius spatulatus from Port Elizabeth. It was later transferred to the genus Hexophthalma by Magalhães et al. in 2017. The species has been revised by Lotz (2012, 2018) and Magalhães et al. (2017) and is known from both sexes.[3]
References
- ^ Pocock, R.I. (1900). "Some new Arachnida from Cape Colony". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 6 (33): 316–333. doi:10.1080/00222930008678382.
- ^ "Hexophthalma spatulata (Pocock, 1900)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Sicariidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 10. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7162164. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.