Helafricanus proszynskii
| Proszynski's Helafricanus Sunny Jumping Spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Salticidae |
| Genus: | Helafricanus |
| Species: | H. proszynskii
|
| Binomial name | |
| Helafricanus proszynskii (Wesołowska, 2003)[1]
| |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Helafricanus proszynskii is a species of spider in the family Salticidae.[2] It is endemic to southern Africa and is commonly known as Proszynski's Helafricanus sunny jumping spider.[3]
Distribution
Helafricanus proszynskii is found in Lesotho and South Africa.[2]
In South Africa, it is known from eight provinces..[3]
Habitat and ecology
Helafricanus proszynskii is a free-living plant-dwelling spider sampled from the Fynbos, Grassland, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 7 to 2,398 m. The species was also sampled from cotton, tomato, and wheat fields.[3]
Description
Conservation
Helafricanus proszynskii is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. In South Africa, it is conserved in nine protected areas.[3]
Etymology
The species is named in honor of arachnologist Jerzy Prószyński, who has made significant contributions to the taxonomy of jumping spiders.
Taxonomy
Helafricanus proszynskii was originally described by Wesołowska in 2003 from Bredasdorp in the Western Cape. Additional data was added by Wesołowska and Haddad in 2009. The species was transferred to Helafricanus by Wesołowska in 2024.[2][3]
References
- ^ Wesołowska, W. (2003). "New data on African Heliophanus species with descriptions of new species (Araneae: Salticidae)". Genus. 14: 249–294.
- ^ a b c d "Helafricanus proszynskii (Wesołowska, 2003)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Walt, V. van der; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2025). The Salticidae of South Africa. Part 3 (He-Iran). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 19. doi:10.5281/zenodo.17103454. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.