Eilica fusca
| Eilica fusca | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Gnaphosidae |
| Genus: | Eilica |
| Species: | E. fusca
|
| Binomial name | |
| Eilica fusca | |
Eilica fusca is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.[2] It is endemic to the Eastern Cape of South Africa.[3]
Distribution
Eilica fusca is known from the Eastern Cape province of South Africa, recorded from Dunbrody (southeast of Kirkwood) and Addo Elephant National Park.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species is a free-living ground dweller sampled from the Thicket biome at 66 m above sea level.[3]
Description
Eilica fusca is known only from the female. The carapace is dark brown, the abdomen is dark grey without a pattern, and the legs are uniform dark brown. Total size is 4.2 mm.[3]
Conservation
Eilica fusca is listed as Data Deficient for taxonomic reasons.[3] The species is known only from the type locality based on a single specimen collected in 1958. It is protected in Addo Elephant National Park.[3] More sampling is needed to collect males and determine the species' range.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Norman I. Platnick in 1975 from Dunbrody in the Eastern Cape.[1]
References
- ^ a b Platnick, N.I. (1975). "A revision of the spider genus Eilica (Araneae, Gnaphosidae)". American Museum Novitates. 2578: 13.
- ^ "Eilica fusca Platnick, 1975". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 2 (E-S). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 7. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197672. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.