Diphya simoni
| Simon's Diphya Web Spider | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Tetragnathidae |
| Genus: | Diphya |
| Species: | D. simoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Diphya simoni | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Diphya simoni is a species of spider in the family Tetragnathidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as Simon's Diphya web spider.[3]
Distribution
[edit]Diphya simoni is found across five South African provinces: Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North West, and Western Cape. The species has been recorded from numerous locations including Kruger National Park, Table Mountain National Park, and various sites along the Eastern Cape coast.[3]
Habitat and ecology
[edit]The species inhabits Grassland and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 418 to 2,826 m. Specimens have been collected low in grasses using sweep nets.[3]
A photograph documented D. simoni constructing a small vertical orb-web in dead wood at Klapmuts in the Western Cape.[3]
Description
[edit]The abdomen is stout and rounded, pale to dark with a pattern. The legs are long and slender with the front legs longer than the others.[3]
The species can be recognized by an anterior row of stiff inflexible setae on the tibia and metatarsi I and II. The male palp features a spine-like cymbial outgrowth.[3]
Conservation
[edit]Diphya simoni is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. Although presently known only from females, the species has a wide geographical range. It is protected in Kruger National Park and Table Mountain National Park.[3]
Taxonomy
[edit]The species was originally described by Hans Kauri in 1950 from Kruger National Park.[1] It was redescribed by Marusik in 2017 and by Omelko, Marusik and Lyle in 2020, who synonymized Diphya tanikawai with D. simoni.[4]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Kauri, H. (1950). "On some South African spiders and harvest-spiders". Kungliga Fysiografiska Sällskapets i Lund Förhandlingar. 20 (6): 64–79.
- 1 2 "Diphya simoni Kauri, 1950". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2023). The Tetragnathidae of South Africa. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 8. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513261.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license. - ↑ Omelko, M.M.; Marusik, Y.M.; Lyle, R. (2020). "A survey of Diphya Nicolet, 1849 (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) from South Africa". Zootaxa. 4899 (1): 259–279. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4899.1.14.
