Menneus capensis
| Cape Net Casting Spider | |
|---|---|
| M. capensis from Durban | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Deinopidae |
| Genus: | Menneus |
| Species: | M. capensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Menneus capensis (Purcell, 1904)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Menneus capensis, also known as Cape camel-back spider, is a species of net-casting spider in the family Deinopidae.[1] It is endemic to the Western Cape in South Africa.[2][3]: 15
Distribution
Menneus capensis was originally described from St James in the Western Cape. It is a Western Cape endemic known from more than ten locations, including three protected areas, at altitudes ranging from 7 to 313 metres above sea level.[4]
Habitat and ecology
The species builds small, rectangular expandable webs close to the ground using cribellate silk and holds them with its front legs. They are typically found under boulders adjacent to water. The spider is cryptic by day, resting with its body pressed against vegetation. It has been sampled from the Fynbos biome as well as Eucalyptus plantations.[4]
Description
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Female with web
Conservation
Menneus capensis is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. Although there is ongoing habitat loss to crop cultivation in some areas, the species is found in several protected areas in the Cape Peninsula. It is protected in De Hoop Nature Reserve, Table Mountain National Park, and Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden.[4]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Purcell in 1904 as Avellopsis capensis from St James. The genus Menneus was revised by Coddington et al. in 2012.[3]
References
- ^ "Menneus capensis (Purcell, 1904)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ^ "Cape Camel-back Spider (Menneus capensis)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
- ^ a b Coddington, Jonathan A.; Kuntner, Matjaz; Opell, Brent D. (2012). "Systematics of the Spider Family Deinopidae with a Revision of the Genus Menneus" (PDF). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology (636): 1–61. doi:10.5479/si.00810282.636.1.
- ^ a b c Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Deinopidae of South Africa. Version 2. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 13. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6326965. Retrieved 21 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.