Palystes ansiedippenaarae
| Jessievale rain spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Sparassidae |
| Genus: | Palystes |
| Species: | P. ansiedippenaarae
|
| Binomial name | |
| Palystes ansiedippenaarae Croeser, 1996[1]
| |
Palystes ansiedippenaarae is a spider species in the family Sparassidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the Jessievale rain spider.[3]
Distribution
Palystes ansiedippenaarae is found in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga provinces. It has been sampled from Jessievale in Mpumalanga and Ndumo Game Reserve in KwaZulu-Natal.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species is a nocturnal hunting spider. During the day, adults are inactive and shelter on vegetation.[3]
Palystes ansiedippenaarae has been sampled under dry, thin bark of Pinus trees in commercial pine plantations. It occurs in the Forest, Grassland, and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 47 to 1,725 m.[3]
Description
Etymology
The species is named after South African arachnologist Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman.
Conservation
Palystes ansiedippenaarae is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. The species occurs in two provinces including two protected areas. As this species is able to survive in forestry plantations, a main land use within its range, it is considered Least Concern.[3]
References
- ^ Croeser, P.M.C. (1996). "A revision of the African huntsman spider genus Palystes L. Koch 1875 (Araneae: Heteropodidae)". Annals of the Natal Museum. 37: 1–122.
- ^ a b "Palystes ansiedippenaarae Croeser, 1996". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2022). The Sparassidae of South Africa. Version 2. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 37. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6614498. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.