Homostola pardalina
| Barberton Wafer-Lid Trapdoor Spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Bemmeridae |
| Genus: | Homostola |
| Species: | H. pardalina
|
| Binomial name | |
| Homostola pardalina (Hewitt, 1913)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Homostola pardalina is a species of spider in the family Bemmeridae. It is endemic to South Africa.[1]
Distribution
Homostola pardalina has been recorded from three provinces in South Africa: Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga.[2] Notable localities include Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, Luvhondo Nature Reserve, and areas around Barberton.
Habitat
This species is a free-living ground dweller commonly found in leaf litter.[2] It has been sampled from pitfall traps in the Grassland and Savanna biomes.
Description
Only females of Homostola pardalina have been formally described, though males have been collected.[2] The carapace and appendages are chestnut brown above, with the patellae of the first two pairs of legs being paler. The opisthosoma shows pale coloration over an anterior median area, while elsewhere it is dark with numerous pale spots at the sides and posteriorly. The lower surfaces are pale. The labium bears more than 50 cuspules. The posterior sternal sigilla are oval and elongated. The fovea is deep, wide and procurved. The total length is 13 millimeters.[3]
Conservation
The species is listed as Least Concern due to its fairly wide geographical range across multiple provinces.[2] It is protected in Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve and Luvhondo Nature Reserve.
References
- ^ "Homostola pardalina (Hewitt, 1913)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Bemmeridae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. Irene. pp. 1–41. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7810486. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ Hewitt, J. (1913). "Descriptions of new and little known species of trapdoor spiders (Ctenizidae and Migidae) from South Africa". Records of the Albany Museum Grahamstown. 2: 404–434.