Namaquarachne hottentotta

Namaquarachne hottentotta
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Phyxelididae
Genus: Namaquarachne
Species:
N. hottentotta
Binomial name
Namaquarachne hottentotta
(Pocock, 1900)[1]
Synonyms
  • Auximus hottentottus Pocock, 1900
  • Matundua hottentottus Lehtinen, 1967

Namaquarachne hottentotta is a species of spider in the family Phyxelididae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa.[3]

Distribution

Namaquarachne hottentotta is endemic to the Northern Cape province of South Africa, known only from the type locality at Garies.[3]

Habitat and ecology

The species is a ground retreat-web cryptic spider recorded from the Succulent Karoo biome. It has been recorded from 327 m above sea level.[3]

Description

Namaquarachne hottentotta is known only from the female.[3]

Conservation

Namaquarachne hottentotta is listed as Data Deficient due to limited distribution data and taxonomic knowledge. The species is known only from the type female collected prior to 1900, and its current status remains unclear. More sampling is needed to collect the male and determine the species range.[3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Pocock in 1900 as Auximus hottentottus from Garies. It was subsequently transferred to Matundua by Pekka Lehtinen in 1967 and then to its current genus by Griswold in 1990.[3][2]

References

  1. ^ Pocock, R.I. (1900). "Some new Arachnida from Cape Colony". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 7. 6 (33): 323. doi:10.1080/00222930008678382.
  2. ^ a b "Namaquarachne hottentotta (Pocock, 1900)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Phyxelididae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 14. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6813843. Retrieved 24 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.