Setaphis subtilis

Common Setaphis Ground Spider
	male
	male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Gnaphosidae
Genus:	Setaphis
Species:	S. subtilis
Binomial name
	Setaphis subtilis; (Simon, 1897)
Synonyms
	Mulicymnis subtilis Simon, 1897 ; Mulicymnis lubrica Simon, 1905 ; Camillina lubrica Berland, 1919 ; Camillina luteus Tucker, 1923 ; Camillina berlandi Denis, 1945 ; Zelotes convolutus Denis, 1953 ; Drassodes oppenheimeri Tikader, 1973 ;

Setaphis subtilis is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.^[2] It has a very wide distribution from Africa to the Philippines and is commonly known as common Setaphis ground spider.^[3]

Distribution

Setaphis subtilis is recorded from South Africa to the Philippines. In South Africa, it is found in all nine provinces at altitudes ranging from 103 to 1,730 m above sea level. Notable locations include Alicedale, Kirkwood, Bloemfontein, Pretoria, Irene, Kruger National Park, and De Hoop Nature Reserve.^[3]

Habitat and ecology

The species is a free-living ground dweller found across multiple biomes including Fynbos, Nama Karoo, Savanna, Succulent Karoo, and Thicket. It has also been sampled from agricultural areas including cabbage, citrus, cotton, maize, pistachio, and tomato fields.^[3]

Description

Conservation

Setaphis subtilis is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide range.^[3] The species faces no significant threats and is found in more than ten protected areas.

Etymology

The species name subtilis means "fine" or "delicate" in Latin.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1897 as Mulicymnis subtilis. It has undergone extensive taxonomic revision with numerous synonyms. Platnick and Murphy (1996) transferred it to Setaphis and synonymized several species with it. It is known from both sexes.^[3]

References

↑ Simon, E. (1897). "Arachnides recueillis par M. M. Maindron à Mascate, en octobre 1896". Bulletin du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle. 3: 97.
↑ "Setaphis subtilis (Simon, 1897)". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 2 (E-S). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 64. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197672. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

[simon1897-1] Simon, E. (1897). "Arachnides recueillis par M. M. Maindron à Mascate, en octobre 1896". Bulletin du Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle. 3: 97.

[wsc-2] "Setaphis subtilis (Simon, 1897)". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-09-25.

[dippenaar2021-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 2 (E-S). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 64. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197672. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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