Moggridgea dyeri
| Dyer's Moggridgea Trapdoor Spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Migidae |
| Genus: | Moggridgea |
| Species: | M. dyeri
|
| Binomial name | |
| Moggridgea dyeri O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1875[1]
| |
Moggridgea dyeri is a species of spider in the family Migidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as Dyer's Moggridgea trapdoor spider. It is the type species of the genus Moggridgea.[3]
Distribution
Moggridgea dyeri is known from two provinces in South Africa. It occurs in the Eastern Cape from multiple localities including Grahamstown, Port Elizabeth, and Somerset East, and in KwaZulu-Natal from Harding.[3]
Habitat
The species inhabits multiple biomes including the Nama Karoo, Fynbos, Savanna, and Thicket biomes at altitudes ranging from 7 to 737 m above sea level. It is an arboreal, nest-building trapdoor species with adult females collected during seven months of the year, indicating an extended activity period.[3]
Description
Moggridgea dyeri is known only from the female. [3]
Conservation
Moggridgea dyeri is listed as Least Concern by SANBI. Despite having a relatively restricted range, the species is suspected to be under-collected, with vast expanses of natural habitat within its range and no significant threats. It is protected in the Fort Brown Kudu Reserve.[3]
Taxonomy
Moggridgea dyeri was originally described by O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1875 from Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape and serves as the type species for the genus Moggridgea. The species was later revised by Griswold in 1987.[4]
References
- ^ Pickard-Cambridge, O. (1875). "On a new genus and species of trap-door spider from South Africa". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 16 (95): 317–322. doi:10.1080/00222937508681860.
- ^ "Moggridgea dyeri O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1875". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Migidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 10. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6735880. Retrieved 21 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ Griswold, C.E. (1987). "The African members of the trap-door spider family Migidae (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) 1: the genus Moggridgea O. P.-Cambridge, 1875". Annals of the Natal Museum. 28: 1–118.