Austrachelas pondoensis
| Pondoland Long-Jawed Ground Spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Gallieniellidae |
| Genus: | Austrachelas |
| Species: | A. pondoensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Austrachelas pondoensis Haddad, Lyle, Bosselaers & Ramírez, 2009
| |
Austrachelas pondoensis is a species of spider in the family Gallieniellidae. It is endemic to South Africa.[1]
Distribution
Austrachelas pondoensis is endemic to the Eastern Cape province and is known only from Mzimhlava River Mouth in the Lusikisiki district at an elevation of 10 m above sea level.[2]
Habitat
The species was sampled in coastal evergreen forest in the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt Biome.[2]
Description
Both sexes are known. The opisthosoma displays mottled pale grey chevron markings.[2]
Conservation
Austrachelas pondoensis is listed as Data Deficient. The species was locally abundant at the time of collection in 1980 and is likely under-collected. It may occur in other forest patches along the Wild Coast, and additional sampling is needed to determine its range.[2]
References
- ^ "Austrachelas pondoensis Haddad, Lyle, Bosselaers & Ramírez, 2009". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Mbo, Z.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Gallieniellidae of South Africa (Report). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 1–37. doi:10.5281/zenodo.14065070. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.