Caponia braunsi

Braun's Orange Lungless Spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Caponiidae
Genus: Caponia
Species:
C. braunsi
Binomial name
Caponia braunsi
Purcell, 1904

Caponia braunsi is a species of spider of the genus Caponia. It is endemic to South Africa.[1] They are also referred to as Braun's Orange Lungless Spider. [2]

Distribution

Caponia braunsi has been recorded from the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces of South Africa.[2] The species is known from localities including Alicedale, Willowmore, and Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape, and the Swartberg Nature Reserve, Witteberg Nature Reserve, and Laingsburg in the Western Cape.[2]

Behaviour

Caponia braunsi are a mostly ground-dwelling species of eight-eyed orange lungless spider. They are nocturnal pursuit hunters who spend their days in small silk lined burrows.[2]

Conservation

Very little is known about Caponia Braunsi due to limited specimens, all of which are male. As of 2020, they were listed as Data Deficient, due to an inability to properly describe the species. [2]

The species is protected in Addo Elephant National Park, Swartberg Nature Reserve, and Witteberg Nature Reserve.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Caponia braunsi Purcell, 1904". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). "The Caponiidae of South Africa". South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. 1: 1–24. doi:10.5281/zenodo.5913570. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.