Hortipes wimmertensi

Wimmertens' basket-legged spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Corinnidae
Genus: Hortipes
Species:
H. wimmertensi
Binomial name
Hortipes wimmertensi
Bosselaers & Jocqué, 2000[1]

Hortipes wimmertensi is a species of spider in the family Corinnidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as Wimmertens' basket-legged spider.[3]

Distribution

Hortipes wimmertensi is endemic to KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa.[3] It has been recorded from Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve and Port Shepstone.[3]

Habitat and ecology

The species inhabits the Savanna biome at altitudes ranging from 66 to 410 m above sea level.[3] It is strongly associated with leaf litter in woodland and forest habitats, occurring in Eastern Valley Bushveld and the KwaZulu-Natal Coastal Belt.[3]

Description

Hortipes wimmertensi is known from both sexes.[3]

Conservation

Hortipes wimmertensi is listed as Critically Rare by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its small restricted distribution range.[3] The species was last collected in 1961 and faces ongoing habitat decline due to infrastructure development, particularly urbanization in Port Shepstone.[3]

References

  1. ^ Bosselaers, J.; Jocqué, R. (2000). "Hortipes, a huge genus of tiny Afrotropical spiders (Araneae, Liocranidae)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 256: 1–108. doi:10.1206/0003-0090(2000)256<0004:HAHGOT>2.0.CO;2.
  2. ^ "Hortipes wimmertensi Bosselaers & Jocqué, 2000". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Haddad, C.R.; Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2023). The Corinnidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 53. doi:10.5281/zenodo.8300753. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.