Loxosceles spinulosa
| Southern Violin Spider | |
|---|---|
| Male | |
| Male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Sicariidae |
| Genus: | Loxosceles |
| Species: | L. spinulosa
|
| Binomial name | |
| Loxosceles spinulosa Purcell, 1904[1]
| |
Loxosceles spinulosa is a species of spider in the family Sicariidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the southern violin spider.[3]
Distribution
Loxosceles spinulosa is recorded from two southern provinces of South Africa, the Eastern Cape and Western Cape. It occurs at altitudes ranging from 15 to 987 m above sea level.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species is not web bound and spins only a few irregular strands of silk serving as retreats. It is found in the Fynbos and Thicket biomes.[3]
Description
-
male
Conservation
Loxosceles spinulosa is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. The species is protected in De Hoop Nature Reserve, Swartberg Nature Reserve, Great Fish River Reserve and Aardvark Nature Reserve.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was described by W. F. Purcell in 1904 from Swellendam Pass in the Western Cape. It has been revised by Lotz (2012, 2017) and is known from both sexes.[3]
References
- ^ Purcell, W.F. (1904). "Descriptions of new genera and species of South African spiders". Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society. 15: 115–173. doi:10.1080/21560382.1904.9626437.
- ^ "Loxosceles spinulosa Purcell, 1904". 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. 22. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7162164. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.