Hortipes irimus
| Hortipes irimus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Corinnidae |
| Genus: | Hortipes |
| Species: | H. irimus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Hortipes irimus Bosselaers & Jocqué, 2000[1]
| |
Hortipes irimus is a species of spider in the family Corinnidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa.[3]
Distribution
Hortipes irimus is endemic to KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa.[3] It is known only from the type locality at Port Shepstone.[3]
Etymology
The species' epithet is based on the word Irimu, the name of the were-leopard from local Chaga legends.[1]
Habitat and ecology
The species inhabits the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt biome at one meter above sea level.[3] It is strongly associated with leaf litter in coastal woodland habitats and is a free-living ground-dweller.[3]
Description
Hortipes irimus is only known from female specimens.[3] The carapace of the spider is a dark yellow colour, which transitions to a lighter yellow in the fovea.[1] Its legs are yellow to dark yellow, ranging to light orange.[1] The rest of the body including the abdomen and sternum are different shades of yellow, and there is no pattern present on its abdomen.[1] The spider is 2.6 mm long, with a carapace length of about 1 mm and a width of around 0.8 mm.[1]
Conservation
Hortipes irimus is listed as Data Deficient for taxonomic reasons.[3] More sampling is needed to collect males and determine the species' range.[3] The species is threatened by habitat loss due to urbanization around Port Shepstone.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d e f 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.
- ^ "Hortipes irimus Bosselaers & Jocqué, 2000". 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. 46. doi:10.5281/zenodo.8300753. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.