Hortipes hyakutake

Hortipes hyakutake
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Corinnidae
Genus: Hortipes
Species:
H. hyakutake
Binomial name
Hortipes hyakutake
Bosselaers & Jocqué, 2000[1]

Hortipes hyakutake is a species of spider in the family Corinnidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa.[3]

Etymology

The species is named after Comet Hyakutake, which passed Earth in 1996.[1]

Distribution

Hortipes hyakutake is endemic to the Eastern Cape province in South Africa.[3] It is known only from the type locality at Ingogo Forest Reserve near Msikaba.[3]

Habitat and ecology

The species inhabits the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt biome at an altitude of 244 m above sea level.[3] It is strongly associated with leaf litter in woodland habitats.[3][1]

Description

Hortipes hyakutake is known only from males.[3] Its general colouration is yellow, with no patterns on its abdomen.[1] Its total length is 1.9 mm, with a carapace length of 0.9 mm and a width of 0.8 mm.[1]

Conservation

Hortipes hyakutake is listed as Data Deficient for taxonomic reasons.[3] More sampling is needed to collect females and determine the species' range.[3] The species is threatened by habitat loss for farming activities and infrastructure development.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Bosselaers, Jan; Jocqué, Rudy (1 October 2000). "Hortipes, A Huge Genus of Tiny Afrotropical Spiders (Araneae, Licoranidae)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 256: 4. doi:10.1206/0003-0090(2000)256<0004:HAHGOT>2.0.CO;2. Retrieved 4 January 2026 – via BioOne Digital Library.
  2. ^ "Hortipes hyakutake Bosselaers & Jocqué, 2000". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  3. ^ 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. 45. doi:10.5281/zenodo.8300753. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.