Platythomisus jubbi

Jubbi's Platythomisus Crab Spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Thomisidae
Genus: Platythomisus
Species:
P. jubbi
Binomial name
Platythomisus jubbi

Platythomisus jubbi is a species of spider in the family Thomisidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as Jubbi's Platythomisus crab spider.[3]

Distribution

Platythomisus jubbi is found only in South Africa,[2] where it is known from the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga.[3]

Notable locations include Kenton-on-Sea, Bathurst, Ndumo Game Reserve, Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Hoedspruit, and Kruger National Park.[3]

Habitat and ecology

Platythomisus jubbi inhabits the Savanna and Thicket biomes at altitudes ranging from 5 to 1279 m.[3]

They are free-living on plants. Specimens have been found in silk retreats.[3]

Description

Conservation

Platythomisus jubbi is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. The species has a wide geographical range, though more sampling is needed to collect the male. It is protected in Ndumo Game Reserve, Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve, and Kruger National Park.[3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Lawrence in 1968 from Kenton-on-Sea in the Eastern Cape.[1] Only the female is known.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Lawrence, R.F. (1968). "Four new spiders from southern Africa (Araneae)". Annals of the Natal Museum. 20: 109–121.
  2. ^ a b "Platythomisus jubbi Lawrence, 1968". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  3. ^ 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. 47. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513276. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.