Spiroctenus tricalcaratus
| Stompneus Spiroctenus Trapdoor Spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Bemmeridae |
| Genus: | Spiroctenus |
| Species: | S. tricalcaratus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Spiroctenus tricalcaratus (Purcell, 1903)
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Spiroctenus tricalcaratus is a species of spider in the family Bemmeridae. It is endemic to the Western Cape province of South Africa.[1]
Distribution
Spiroctenus tricalcaratus has been recorded from several localities including Malmesbury, Soldaten Post, St. Helena Bay Stompneus, and Steenberg's Cove.[2] All collections were made in the early 1900s.
Habitat
The species inhabits the Fynbos Biome as a ground-dwelling burrow constructor.[2]
Description
Only males of Spiroctenus tricalcaratus are known to science.[3] The spider is pale ochraceous in color. The carapace shows faint greenish or fuscous patches radiating inwards from the margins. The cephalic region is yellowish with a dark stripe along the middle and one at each lateral margin.[3]
The opisthosoma has a median black or blackish brown stripe that is abbreviated posteriorly and widened anteriorly into a large patch. This is flanked on each side by a row of short, obliquely transverse, similarly colored stripes that do not unite with the median stripe. The underside shows a dark spot slightly in front of the larger spinnerets. The sides have a larger spot just above these spinnerets but are otherwise without spots or stripes. The distal part of the first leg is reddish. The total length is 11-14 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
- ^ "Spiroctenus tricalcaratus (Purcell, 1903)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c 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.