Zelotes bastardi

Zelotes bastardi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Gnaphosidae
Genus: Zelotes
Species:
Z. bastardi
Binomial name
Zelotes bastardi
(Simon, 1896)[1]
Synonyms
  • Melanophora bastardi Simon, 1896
  • Zelotes vespertilionis Tucker, 1923

Zelotes bastardi is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.[2]

Distribution

Zelotes bastardi is an African endemic distributed across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, and South Africa.[2] In South Africa, it is known from three provinces, Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga, at altitudes ranging from 534 to 1,333 m above sea level.[3]

Habitat and ecology

The species inhabits the Grassland and Savanna biomes. These are free-running spiders that are found under stones during the day. The species has also been sampled from cabbage and cotton fields.[3]

Description

Conservation

Zelotes bastardi is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographic range. There are no significant threats to the species, and it is protected in Malebogo Nature Reserve and Blouberg Nature Reserve.[3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Simon in 1896 from Madagascar as Melanophora bastardi. Tucker described Zelotes vespertilionis in 1923, which was later synonymized with Z. bastardi by FitzPatrick in 2007. The species is known from both sexes.[3]

References

  1. ^ Simon, E. (1896). "Arachnides recueillis aux environs de Majunga par M. Bastard et envoyés au laboratoire d'entomologie du Muséum". Bulletin du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle. 2: 333–335.
  2. ^ a b "Zelotes bastardi (Simon, 1896)". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
  3. ^ a b c d Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 4 (Z). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 7. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197783. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.