Anyphops fitzsimonsi
| Mpumalanga Anyphops Flat Spider | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Selenopidae |
| Genus: | Anyphops |
| Species: | A. fitzsimonsi |
| Binomial name | |
| Anyphops fitzsimonsi (Lawrence, 1940)[1] | |
Anyphops fitzsimonsi is a species of spider in the family Selenopidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as Mpumalanga Anyphops flat spider.[3]
Distribution
[edit]Anyphops fitzsimonsi occurs in three South African provinces: Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and North West.[3] Notable localities include Barberton, Nelspruit, Pretoria, and the Lowveld National Botanical Garden.[3]
Habitat and ecology
[edit]The species inhabits Savanna and Grassland biomes at altitudes ranging from 270 to 1394 m above sea level.[3] These are free-living cryptozoic nocturnal spiders that have been sampled from trees in avocado, macadamia and citrus orchards and commercial pine plantations.[3] Specimens have also been found in houses.[3]
Description
[edit]Known only from the male.[3] The carapace is yellow-brown without radiations from thoracic striae, with a lighter parallel-sided broad yellow area behind the eyes as wide as the ocular row, bisected by the striae which continues as a brown stripe onto the cephalic region.[3]
The broad median area of carapace is bordered at the sides by a wavy brown line, and the eyes are black. The opisthosoma is yellow above with a few indistinct brown markings, while the under surface and legs are yellow without black bands. The anterior tibiae have 6 pairs of inferior spines.[3]
Total length is 8.6 mm.[3]
Conservation
[edit]Anyphops fitzsimonsi is listed as Least Concern due to its wide geographical range.[3] The species receives protection in the Lowveld National Botanical Garden and Bergvliet State Forest.[3]
Taxonomy
[edit]The species was originally described by Lawrence in 1940 as Selenops fitzsimonsi from Barberton in Mpumalanga.[1] It was later transferred to the genus Anyphops by Benoit in 1968.[3]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Lawrence, R.F. (1940). "The genus Selenops (Araneae) in South Africa". Annals of the South African Museum. 32: 596. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.5227.
- ↑ "Anyphops fitzsimonsi (Lawrence, 1940)". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Selenopidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 21. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7162139.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.