Stegodyphus bicolor
| Bicolor Stegodyphus Velvet Spider | |
|---|---|
| female | |
| female | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Eresidae |
| Genus: | Stegodyphus |
| Species: | S. bicolor
|
| Binomial name | |
| Stegodyphus bicolor (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869)[1]
| |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Stegodyphus bicolor is a species of spider in the family Eresidae.[1] It is found in Namibia and South Africa, where it is commonly known as the bicolor Stegodyphus velvet spider.[2]
Distribution
Stegodyphus bicolor occurs in two countries: Namibia and South Africa.[1] In South Africa, the species is recorded from the Northern Cape, where it is protected in Augrabies National Park.[2]
Habitat and ecology
The species inhabits Desert and Succulent Karoo biomes at altitudes ranging from 33 to 720 m above sea level.[2]
Stegodyphus bicolor constructs retreat-webs and lives solitarily in nests made with yellow-orange silk.[2]
Description
Conservation
Stegodyphus bicolor is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide global range. It is protected in Augrabies National Park.[2]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1869 as Eresus bicolor from Namibia.[3] It was revised by Kraus & Kraus in 1989.[4]
References
- ^ a b c "Stegodyphus bicolor (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1869)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e 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. 39. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6331366. Retrieved 22 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ Pickard-Cambridge, O. (1869). "Descriptions and sketches of some new species of Araneida, with characters of a new genus". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 3 (13): 52–74. doi:10.1080/00222936908695878.
- ^ 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.