Graptartia granulosa
| Four-spotted mutilliform sac spider | |
|---|---|
| G. granulosa from South Africa | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Corinnidae |
| Genus: | Graptartia |
| Species: | G. granulosa
|
| Binomial name | |
| Graptartia granulosa | |
Graptartia granulosa is a species of spider in the family Corinnidae.[2] It occurs widely in southern Africa and is commonly known as the four-spotted mutilliform sac spider.[3]
Distribution
Graptartia granulosa is found in ten African countries: Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.[2][3] In South Africa, it has been recorded from Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal at altitudes ranging from 286 to 1,217 m above sea level.[3]
The species occurs in protected areas including Ndumo Game Reserve and Kruger National Park.[3]
Habitat and ecology
Graptartia granulosa is a ground-dwelling mimic of velvet ants that occurs in a variety of habitats but appears to prefer the Savanna biome.[3]
It is usually collected in pitfall traps and leaf litter, or under prone objects where it shelters when not active.[3]
Description
Conservation
Graptartia granulosa is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range.[3] There are no significant known threats to the species.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1896,[1] with the type locality given as Zambezi.[3] It was revised by Haddad in 2004.[4]
References
- ^ a b Simon, E. (1896). "Descriptions d'arachnides nouveaux de la famille des Clubionidae". Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique. 40 (9): 400–422.
- ^ a b "Graptartia granulosa Simon, 1896". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Haddad, C.R.; Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2023). The Corinnidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 38. doi:10.5281/zenodo.8300753. Retrieved 22 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ Haddad, C.R. (2004). "A revision of the spider genus Graptartia Simon, 1896 (Araneae: Corinnidae) in the Afrotropical region". African Entomology. 12: 71–81.