Cynathea bicolor
| Cynathea crab spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Cynathea |
| Species: | C. bicolor
|
| Binomial name | |
| Cynathea bicolor | |
Cynathea bicolor is a species of spider in the family Thomisidae.[2] It is found in several African countries and is commonly known as Cynathea crab spider.[3]
Distribution
Cynathea bicolor is found in Senegal, Nigeria, Gabon, Angola, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa.[2]
In South Africa, the species is not very common and was only sampled from Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.[3]
Habitat and ecology
Cynathea bicolor inhabits the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 78 to 1163 m above sea level.[3]
They are free-living plant dwellers, found on shrubs and grasses.[3]
Description
Conservation
Cynathea bicolor is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide range. It is protected in Tembe Elephant Park.[3]
Etymology
The species epithet bicolor means "two-colored" in Latin.
Taxonomy
Cynathea bicolor was described by Eugène Simon in 1895 from Senegal. The species is known only from the male.[2]
References
- ^ Simon, E. (1895). "Descriptions d'arachnides nouveaux de la famille des Thomisidae". Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique. 39: 432–443.
- ^ a b c "Cynathea bicolor Simon, 1895". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Thomisidae of South Africa. Part 1 A-Mo. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 20. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513274. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.