Asemesthes subnubilus
| Kalahari Asemesthes Ground Spider | |
|---|---|
| Female | |
| A. subnubilus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Gnaphosidae |
| Genus: | Asemesthes |
| Species: | A. subnubilus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Asemesthes subnubilus | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Asemesthes subnubilus is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.[2] It is endemic to southern Africa and is commonly known as the Kalahari Asemesthes ground spider.[3] This species is the type species of the genus Asemesthes.[2]
Distribution
Asemesthes subnubilus occurs in Namibia and South Africa.[2] In South Africa, it is recorded from two provinces: Northern Cape and Western Cape, at altitudes ranging from 231 to 870 m above sea level.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species is a free-living ground dweller sampled from the Succulent Karoo biome.[3]
Description
-
female
-
web
Asemesthes subnubilus is known from both sexes. The cephalothorax is smooth and dusky brown, with the ocular region being black. The opisthosoma is oval and dark ashy in colour above, with the under surface paler to dull testaceous. The sternum, chelicerae, and legs are dark brown, while the metatarsi and tarsi are lighter and yellowish red. The total length is 7 mm.[3]
Conservation
Asemesthes subnubilus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide distribution range. There are no significant threats to the species.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1887 from the Kalahari.[1] It has not been revised since its original description.[3] The species Asemesthes aureus, described by W. F. Purcell in 1908, is considered a junior synonym of A. subnubilus.[2]
References
- ^ a b Simon, E. (1887). "Etudes arachnologiques. 20e Mémoire. XXVIII. Arachnides recueillis dans le sud de l'Afrique par M. le docteur Hans Schinz". Annales de la Société Entomologique de France. 7 (6): 369–384.
- ^ a b c d "Asemesthes subnubilus Simon, 1887". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. part 1 (A-D). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 40. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197174. Retrieved 22 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.