Spiroctenus gooldi

Goold’s Spiroctenus Trapdoor Spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
Family: Bemmeridae
Genus: Spiroctenus
Species:
S. gooldi
Binomial name
Spiroctenus gooldi
(Purcell, 1903)
Synonyms
  • Hermachastes gooldi Purcell, 1903

Spiroctenus gooldi is a species of spider in the family Bemmeridae. It is endemic to the Western Cape province of South Africa.[1]

Distribution

Spiroctenus gooldi has been recorded from Malmesbury, Stompneus at St Helena Bay, and St James at False Bay.[2] All specimens were collected prior to 1903.

Habitat

The species inhabits the Fynbos Biome as a ground-dwelling burrow constructor.[2]

Description

Only males of Spiroctenus gooldi are known to science.[3] The opisthosoma shows transverse stripes that meet or nearly meet in the median line. The total length is 10-11 millimeters.[3]

Conservation

The species is listed as Data Deficient for taxonomic reasons, as females remain unknown and the current species range requires further study.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Spiroctenus gooldi (Purcell, 1903)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Bemmeridae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. Irene. pp. 1–41. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7810486. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  3. ^ a b Purcell, W.F. (1903). "New South African spiders of the families Migidae, Ctenizidae, Barychelidae Dipluridae, and Lycosidae". Annals of the South African Museum. 3: 69–142.