Trephopoda kannemeyeri
| Kannemeyer's Trephopoda Ground Spider | |
|---|---|
| female | |
| female | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Gnaphosidae |
| Genus: | Trephopoda |
| Species: | T. kannemeyeri
|
| Binomial name | |
| Trephopoda kannemeyeri | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Trephopoda kannemeyeri is a spider species in the family Gnaphosidae.[2] It is endemic to southern Africa and is commonly known as Kannemeyer's Trephopoda ground spider.
Distribution
Trephopoda kannemeyeri has a wide distribution across South Africa, occurring in five provinces: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Northern Cape, and Western Cape. Notable locations include Grahamstown, Smithfield (the type locality), Pretoria, and Bontebok National Park. The species occurs at altitudes ranging from 60 to 2,598 m above sea level.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species is a free-living ground dweller found in Grassland, Nama Karoo, and Savanna biomes.[3]
Description
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female
-
female
-
female
Females have a carapace that is light to medium brown, tinged with red anteriorly, with lateral margins slightly darkened and the surface clothed with sparse pubescence. The abdomen is dull testaceous, slightly darkened, and bears indistinct chevron-like markings posteriorly on the dorsal surface.[3]
Conservation
Trephopoda kannemeyeri is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide range across multiple provinces. The species is protected in eight protected areas.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Tucker in 1923 as Upognampa kannemeyeri from Smithfield in the Free State. Murphy provided drawings of the species in 2007.[3] Unlike many other Trephopoda species, both males and females are known.[2]
References
- ^ Tucker, R.W.E. (1923). "The Drassidae of South Africa". Annals of the South African Museum. 19 (2): 251–437.
- ^ a b c "Trephopoda kannemeyeri (Tucker, 1923)". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
- ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 3 (T-X). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 24. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197741. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.