Hirriusa arenacea
| Namibia Ground Running Spider | |
|---|---|
| female | |
| male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Philodromidae |
| Genus: | Hirriusa |
| Species: | H. arenacea
|
| Binomial name | |
| Hirriusa arenacea (Lawrence, 1927)[1]
| |
Hirriusa arenacea is a species of spider in the family Philodromidae.[2] It is commonly known as the Namibia ground running spider.[3]
Distribution
Hirriusa arenacea is recorded from Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa.[2] In South Africa, it is known from seven provinces including seven protected areas, with an altitudinal range of 377-1513 m above sea level.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species is a free-living agile ground dweller readily collected in pitfall traps. With their cryptic colouration, they are well camouflaged and not easily seen on the soil surface. They are frequently encountered in areas infested with termites. The species has been sampled from the Grassland, Desert, Nama Karoo, Savanna, Succulent Karoo and Thicket biomes, and is also recorded from pistachio orchards.[3]
Description
-
female
-
female
-
male
Conservation
Hirriusa arenacea is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide range. The species is protected in several protected areas.[3]
Etymology
The specific name means "sandy" in Latin.
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Lawrence (1927) as Hirrius arenaceus from Namibia. The genus has not been revised and the species is known from both sexes.[3]
References
- ^ Lawrence, R.F. (1927). "Contributions to a knowledge of the fauna of South-West Africa V. Arachnida". Annals of the South African Museum. 25 (1): 1–75.
- ^ a b "Hirriusa arenacea (Lawrence, 1927)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2022). The Philodromidae of South Africa. Version 2. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 9–10. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6634009. Retrieved 21 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.