Phrynarachne melloleitaoi
| Phrynarachne melloleitaoi | |
|---|---|
| female | |
| male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Phrynarachne |
| Species: | P. melloleitaoi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Phrynarachne melloleitaoi | |
Phrynarachne melloleitaoi is a southern African species of spider in the family Thomisidae.[2]
Distribution
Phrynarachne melloleitaoi is found in Angola, Lesotho, and South Africa.[2]
In South Africa, the species is recorded from the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, and Western Cape.[3] Notable locations include Coffee Bay, Cwebe Nature Reserve, Hogsback, Addo Elephant National Park, Loteni Nature Reserve, Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve, De Hoop Nature Reserve, Cape Town, and Robben Island.[3]
Habitat and ecology
Phrynarachne melloleitaoi inhabits the Fynbos, Forest, Grassland, Savanna, and Thicket biomes at altitudes ranging from 6 to 2066 m.[3]
These spiders are free-living on plants, and have been sampled from citrus orchards.[3]
Description
-
female
-
male
-
juvenile male
-
juvenile male
Conservation
Phrynarachne melloleitaoi is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range.[3] It is protected in reserves including Addo Elephant National Park, Cwebe Nature Reserve, Loteni Nature Reserve, Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve, and De Hoop Nature Reserve.[3]
Etymology
Phrynarachne melloleitaoi is named after Brazilian zoologist Cândido Firmino de Mello-Leitão (1886-1948), who is considered the founder of arachnology in South America.
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Lessert in 1933 from Angola.[1] Both sexes are known.[3]
References
- ^ a b Lessert, R. de (1933). "Araignées d'Angola. Résultats de la Mission scientifique suisse en Angola 1928-1929". Revue Suisse de Zoologie. 40 (1): 85–159. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.117656.
- ^ a b "Phrynarachne melloleitaoi Lessert, 1933". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Thomisidae of South Africa. Part 2 My-R. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 43. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513276. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.