Afrarchaea ngomensis
| Ngome Assassin Spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Archaeidae |
| Genus: | Afrarchaea |
| Species: | A. ngomensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Afrarchaea ngomensis Lotz, 1996
| |
Afrarchaea ngomensis is a species of spider of the genus Afrarchaea. It is endemic to South Africa.[1]
Etymology
The species name ngomensis refers to its type locality, Ngome State Forest in KwaZulu-Natal.[2]
Distribution
Afrarchaea ngomensis has been recorded from two provinces in South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal (Ngome State Forest) and Mpumalanga (Graskop, Fairy Forest). The species is likely undersampled and may occur in additional patches of indigenous forest between these locations.[3]
Habitat
The species inhabits high mountainous forest and dense indigenous forest environments within the Forest and Savanna biomes. It has been sampled using pitfall traps from indigenous forest as well as in ecotones between natural forest and pine plantations.[3]
Description
Afrarchaea ngomensis exhibits the characteristic features of the genus, including a greatly elevated cephalic region and elongated chelicerae. Both males and females are known for this species.[2]
Conservation status
Afrarchaea ngomensis is classified as Vulnerable under criterion D2 by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. Although the species is recorded from two provinces, it is currently known from only two locations and has lost habitat in the past to pine plantations. Further habitat loss to plantation forestry represents a potential ongoing threat.[3]
The species is protected within both Graskop Fairy Forest and Ngome State Forest, but the limited number of known populations makes it vulnerable to localized threats. Additional sampling is needed to identify other potential populations.[3]
References
- ^ "Afrarchaea ngomensis Lotz, 1996". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
- ^ a b Lotz, L.N. (1996). "Afrotropical Archaeidae (Araneae): 1. New species of Afrarchaea with notes on Afrarchaea godfreyi (Hewitt, 1919)". Navorsinge van die Nasionale Museum Bloemfontein. 12: 141–160.
- ^ a b c d Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). "South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide: The Archaeidae of South Africa". Version 1: 1–20. doi:10.5281/zenodo.5982745. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.