Rothus auratus
| Garies Rothus nursery-web spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Pisauridae |
| Genus: | Rothus |
| Species: | R. auratus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Rothus auratus | |
Rothus auratus is a spider species in the family Pisauridae.[2] The species is commonly known as the Garies Rothus nursery-web spider.[3]
Distribution
Rothus auratus is endemic to South Africa, where it has been sampled from three provinces: Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and Western Cape.[3]
Habitat and ecology
These are plant-living nursery-web spiders that are found on vegetation at night. Their movements are erratic but they move swiftly on the substrate, sometimes in leaps or jumps.[3]
The species has been sampled from the Fynbos and Succulent Karoo biomes at altitudes ranging from 327 to 1307 m.[3]
Description
Conservation
Rothus auratus is listed as Least Concern. Although the species is presently known only from females, it has a wide geographical range. The species is protected in Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve and Cederberg Wilderness Area. There are no significant threats to the species.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was described by Pocock in 1900 from Garies in the Northern Cape.[1] It was revised by Silva and Sierwald in 2015 and is known only from the female.[4]
References
- ^ a b Pocock, R.I. (1900). "Some new Arachnida from Cape Colony". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 7. 6 (33): 316–333. doi:10.1080/00222930008678382.
- ^ "Rothus auratus Pocock, 1900". 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. (2020). The Pisauridae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 53. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7157775. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ Silva, E.L.C. da; Sierwald, P. (2015). "First description of the male of Rothus vittatus Simon, 1898 (Araneae: Pisauridae), with a review of the African nursery web spider genus Rothus Simon, 1898". African Invertebrates. 56 (2): 325–341. doi:10.5733/afin.056.0207.