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| Geraesta | |
|---|---|
 | |
| female G. congoensis from South Africa | |
 | |
| male G. congoensis from South Africa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Geraesta Simon, 1889[1] |
| Type species | |
| G. hirta Simon, 1889 | |
| Species | |
|
6, see text | |
Geraesta is a genus of African crab spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1889.[2]
Life style
[edit]Geraesta congoensis are plant-dwellers more commonly found on shrubs and herbs, but occasionally also from tree canopies. With their green colour they are well camouflaged and blend in with the vegetation.[3]
They are usually sampled with sweeping and beating of vegetation. They have mainly been sampled from the Savanna and Forest biomes.[3]
Description
[edit]The genus Geraesta comprises spiders that vary from brightly coloured (pink, green, yellow) to dark brown or grey with a mottled appearance. Females and males measure 5 to 7 mm in total length, with males slightly smaller.[3]
The carapace varies from semi-circular, ovoid to elongate, usually with simple erect setae, and eye tubercles are present. The abdomen varies in shape from round to ovoid to elongate with distinct abdominal tubercles and frequently decorated with patterns.[3]
Legs frequently have series of strong spines on the tibiae and metatarsi of the anterior legs.[3]
They can easily be confused with Borboropactus.[3]
Taxonomy
[edit]The genus was revised by Benjamin in 2015.[4]
Species
[edit]As of October 2025[update], this genus includes six species:[1]
- Geraesta ansieae Benjamin, 2015 – Rwanda
- Geraesta congoensis (Lessert, 1943) – Ivory Coast, DR Congo, Botswana, South Africa
- Geraesta hirta Simon, 1889 – Comoros, Madagascar (type species)
- Geraesta lehtineni Benjamin, 2011 – Madagascar
- Geraesta mkwawa Benjamin, 2011 – Tanzania
- Geraesta octolobata (Simon, 1886) – Madagascar
In synonymy:
- G. bilobata Simon, 1897 = Geraesta hirta Simon, 1889
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "Gen. Geraesta Simon, 1889". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-03.
- ↑ Simon, E. (1889). "Etudes arachnologiques. 21e Mémoire. XXXI. Descriptions d'espèces et the genres nouveaux de Madagascar et de Mayotte". Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. 8 (6): 223–236.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Thomisidae of South Africa. Part 1 A-Mo. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 31. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513274.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license. - ↑ Benjamin, S.P. (2015). "On the African crab spider genus Geraesta Simon, 1889 (Araneae: Thomisidae)". African Invertebrates. 56 (2): 309–318. doi:10.5733/afin.056.0205.
Further reading
[edit]- Benjamin, S. P. (2015). "On the African crab spider genus Geraesta Simon, 1889 (Araneae: Thomisidae)" (PDF). African Invertebrates. 56 (2): 309–318. doi:10.5733/afin.056.0205. S2CID 83363501.
- Benjamin, S. P. (2011). "Phylogenetics and comparative morphology of crab spiders (Araneae: Dionycha, Thomisidae)". Zootaxa. 3080: 1–108. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3080.1.1.
- Simon, E (1897). Histoire naturelle des araignées (in French). Paris: Roret. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.51973.
- Ramírez, M. J. (2014). "The morphology and phylogeny of dionychan spiders (Araneae: Araneomorphae)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 390: 1–374. doi:10.1206/821.1. hdl:11336/18066. S2CID 86146467.
- Lessert, R. de (1943). "Araignées du Congo Belg (III)". Revue suisse de Zoologie. 50: 305–338.