Araneus varus
| Araneus varus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Araneidae |
| Genus: | Araneus |
| Species: | A. varus |
| Binomial name | |
| Araneus varus (Kauri, 1950)[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Araneus varus is a species of spider in the family Araneidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa.[3]
Distribution
[edit]Araneus varus is known only from Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal, at an altitude of 857 m above sea level.[3]
Habitat and ecology
[edit]This orb-web spider constructs an orb-web in low vegetation and grasses in the Savanna biome.[3]
Description
[edit]Due to sexual dimorphism, it is difficult to recognize the two sexes as belonging to the same species.[3]
Conservation
[edit]Araneus varus is listed as Data Deficient for Taxonomic reasons.[3]
Taxonomy
[edit]The species was originally described by Hans Kauri in 1950 as Larinia vara from Pietermaritzburg.[1] The species was redescribed by Yuri Marusik in 2017, who transferred it to Araneus.[4] The species is known only from the male and identification of the female is still problematic.[3]
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.
- ↑ "Araneus varus (Kauri, 1950)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N.; Webb, P. (2022). The Araneidae of South Africa. Version 2: part 1 (A-C). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 25. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6326922.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license. - ↑ Marusik, Y.M. (2017). "Redescription of the holotype of Larinia vara Kauri, 1950 (Aranei: Araneidae) from South Africa, with establishing of a new combination". Arthropoda Selecta. 26 (3): 245–247. doi:10.15298/arthsel.26.3.06.