Pronophaea natalica
| Natal Pronophaea dark sac spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Corinnidae |
| Genus: | Pronophaea |
| Species: | P. natalica
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pronophaea natalica Simon, 1897
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Pronophaea natalica is a spider species in the family Corinnidae.[1] It is commonly known as the Natal Pronophaea dark sac spider.[2]
Distribution
Pronophaea natalica is endemic to South Africa, where it has a wide distribution across six provinces, Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Western Cape.[2]
Habitat and ecology
This species consists of free-living ground-dwellers collected predominantly in leaf litter and pitfall traps.[2] It has been sampled from all the floral biomes except the Desert and Succulent Karoo biomes, and also from commercial pine plantations, at altitudes ranging from 3 to 1,861 m above sea level.[2]
Description
Conservation
Pronophaea natalica is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range.[2] It is conserved in more than 10 protected areas.[2] There are no known threats to the species.[2]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1897, with the type locality given only as Natal.[2] It was redescribed by Haddad & Bosselaers (2010) and is a senior synonym of Medmassa nitida Lawrence, 1937, which was described from KwaZulu-Natal.[1] The species is known from both sexes.[2]
References
- ^ a b "Pronophaea natalica Simon, 1897". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Haddad, C.R.; Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2023). The Corinnidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 65–66. doi:10.5281/zenodo.8300753. Retrieved 22 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.