Haplodrassus solitarius

Haplodrassus solitarius
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Gnaphosidae
Genus: Haplodrassus
Species:
H. solitarius
Binomial name
Haplodrassus solitarius
(Purcell, 1907)
Synonyms
  • Drassodes solitarius Purcell, 1907

Haplodrassus solitarius is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.[1] It occurs in southern Africa.[2] Haplodrassus solitarius is known only from females.[2]

Distribution

Haplodrassus solitarius is found in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Within South Africa, it is recorded from seven provinces, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Northern Cape, and Western Cape.[2]

Habitat and ecology

The species is a free-living ground dweller that inhabits the Fynbos, Grassland, Nama Karoo, Savanna, and Succulent Karoo biomes at altitudes ranging from 78 to 2,985 m above sea level.[2]

Conservation

Haplodrassus solitarius is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range, despite being known from only one sex. The species is protected in five protected areas including Nyala Game Reserve, Polokwane Nature Reserve, Rustenburg Nature Reserve, Benfontein Game Reserve, Cederberg Wilderness Area, and Namaqua National Park.[2]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by W. F. Purcell in 1907 as Drassodes solitarius from Hanover in the Northern Cape. In 2025, Yuri M. Marusik and Charles R. Haddad transferred the species to the genus Haplodrassus.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Haplodrassus solitarius (Purcell, 1907)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. part 1 (A-D). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 70. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197174. Retrieved 22 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  3. ^ Marusik, Y.M.; Haddad, C.R. (2025). "On the placement and affiliations of the Drassodes species described from sub-Saharan Africa (Aranei: Gnaphosidae)". Arthropoda Selecta. 34 (1): 77–85. doi:10.15298/arthsel.34.1.07.