Ballomma legala
| Ballomma legala | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Zodariidae |
| Genus: | Ballomma |
| Species: | B. legala
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ballomma legala Jocqué & Henrard, 2015[1]
| |
Ballomma legala is a species of spider in the family Zodariidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa.[3]
Distribution
Ballomma legala is endemic to the Limpopo province of South Africa, where it is known only from Lekgalameetse Nature Reserve.[3]
Habitat
The species inhabits the Savanna biome at an altitude of 857 metres above sea level. It occurs in mixed woodland environments where it has been sampled by sifting riverine litter.[3]
Description
Ballomma legala is known only from females. The species is easily recognized by the dense field of spinules on the distal part of the endites and the epigyne with a V-shaped mark in front of a transverse row of spermathecae. The cephalothorax is medium brown with a thin dark margin, and the opisthosoma has a complex pale pattern on a dark grey background.[3]
Ecology
Ballomma legala are free-living ground-dwellers that inhabit the leaf litter of mixed woodland environments. They are collected through litter sifting methods in riverine areas.[3]
Conservation
The species is listed as Data Deficient and is protected within Lekgalameetse Nature Reserve. More sampling is needed to collect males and determine the full extent of its distribution.[3]
References
- ^ Jocqué, R.; Henrard, A. (2015). "Ballomma, a new Afrotropical genus in the Cryptothelinae (Araneae, Zodariidae): eyes on the run". European Journal of Taxonomy. 163: 1–24. doi:10.5852/ejt.2015.163.
- ^ "Ballomma legala Jocqué & Henrard, 2015". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Jocqué, R.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2024). The Zodariidae of South Africa. Part 1 (A-D) version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 15. doi:10.5281/zenodo.14404920. Retrieved 20 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.