Caponia karrooica

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

Caponia karrooica is a species of spider of the genus Caponia. It is endemic to South Africa.[1]

Distribution

Caponia karrooica has been recorded from the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces of South Africa.[2] The species is known from Matjiesfontein, Willowmore, Worcester, and Campherskloof.[2]

Habitat

The species is a free-living ground dweller sampled from the Nama Karoo biome.[2]

Conservation

Caponia karrooica is listed as Data Deficient for taxonomic reasons. The species is found at elevations ranging from 850 to 912 metres above sea level. The species is known from Matjiesfontein and Willowmore where it was recorded prior to 1904, with a more recent collection from Campherskloof. It is likely under-collected and the status remains obscure. More sampling is needed to collect females and determine the species range.[2]

Description

Only males are currently known for this species.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Caponia karrooica Purcell, 1904". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 19 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e 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.