Simorcus lotzi
| Lotz's Simorcus Crab Spider | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Simorcus |
| Species: | S. lotzi |
| Binomial name | |
| Simorcus lotzi van Niekerk & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 2010[1] | |
Simorcus lotzi is a species of spider in the family Thomisidae.[2] It is commonly known as Lotz's Simorcus crab spider and occurs in southern Africa.[3]
Distribution
[edit]Simorcus lotzi is known from Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa.[3]
In South Africa, the species has been recorded from Free State (Bloemfontein Botanical Gardens) and Limpopo (Naboomspruit).[3]
Habitat and ecology
[edit]Simorcus lotzi are found on foliage and the bark of trees, shrubs, and herbs from Grassland and Savanna biomes, at altitudes ranging from 1,126 to 1,429 m.[3]
The species was collected by beating vegetation and pitfall traps. Males were collected in December to February.[3]
Description
[edit]![[icon]](/restyle/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (October 2025) |
Conservation
[edit]Simorcus lotzi is listed as Least Concern due to its wide geographical range. The species is protected in the Bloemfontein National Botanical Gardens.[3]
Etymology
[edit]The species is named after South African arachnologist Leon N. Lotz.[1]
Taxonomy
[edit]Simorcus lotzi was described by van Niekerk and Dippenaar-Schoeman in 2010 from Bloemfontein.[1] The species was revised by Van Niekerk and Dippenaar-Schoeman in 2010 and is known only from the male. A female has been collected but not yet described.[3]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 van Niekerk, P.; Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S. (2010). "A revision of the spider genus Simorcus Simon, 1895 (Araneae: Thomisidae) of the Afrotropical region". African Entomology. 18: 66–86. doi:10.4001/003.018.0108.
- ↑ "Simorcus lotzi van Niekerk & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 2010". 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. (2020). The Thomisidae of South Africa. Part 2 My-R. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 67. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513276.
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.