Stegodyphus africanus
| African Stegodyphus Velvet Spider | |
|---|---|
| Male | |
| Male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Eresidae |
| Genus: | Stegodyphus |
| Species: | S. africanus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Stegodyphus africanus | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Stegodyphus africanus is a species of spider in the family Eresidae.[1] It is found throughout Africa. In South Africa it is commonly known as the African Stegodyphus Velvet Spider.[2]
Distribution
Stegodyphus africanus has a wide distribution throughout Africa, occurring in Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, and South Africa.[1] In South Africa, the species is recorded from four provinces, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Northern Cape.[2]
The species occurs in Ndumo Game Reserve, Blouberg Nature Reserve, Kruger National Park, and Tswalu Kalahari Reserve.[2]
Habitat and ecology
The species inhabits multiple biomes including Succulent Karoo, Grassland, Savanna and Nama Karoo biomes at altitudes ranging from 140 to 1,551 m above sea level.[2]
Stegodyphus africanus is a plant-dweller that constructs retreat-webs on vegetation.[2]
Description
-
male
-
male
Conservation
Stegodyphus africanus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. It is protected in three protected areas including Ndumo Game Reserve, Blouberg Nature Reserve, Kruger National Park, and Tswalu Kalahari Reserve.[2]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by John Blackwall in 1866 as Eresus africanus from French Equatorial Africa.[3] It was revised by Kraus & Kraus in 1989.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d "Stegodyphus africanus (Blackwall, 1866)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2022). The Eresidae of South Africa. Version 2. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 38. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6331366. Retrieved 22 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ Blackwall, J. (1866). "A list of spiders captured in the south-east region of equatorial Africa, with descriptions of such species as appear to be new to arachnologists". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 18 (108): 451–468. doi:10.1080/00222936608679683.
- ^ Kraus, O.; Kraus, M. (1989). "The genus Stegodyphus (Arachnida, Araneae). Sibling species, species groups, and parallel origin of social living". Verhandlungen des Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins in Hamburg. 30: 151–254.