Larinia natalensis
| Larinia natalensis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Araneidae |
| Genus: | Larinia |
| Species: | L. natalensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Larinia natalensis (Grasshoff, 1971)[1]
| |
Larinia natalensis is a species of spider in the family Araneidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa.[3]
Distribution
Larinia natalensis is endemic to South Africa, where it occurs across six provinces, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, North West, Northern Cape, and Western Cape. Notable locations include Giant's Castle Nature Reserve, Swartberg Nature Reserve, De Hoop Nature Reserve, and Polokwane Nature Reserve.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species inhabits Fynbos, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Grassland, and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 55 to 1,842 m above sea level. Larinia natalensis is an orb-web spider that constructs their webs in grass. The species has also been sampled from cotton fields.[3]
Description
Conservation
Larinia natalensis is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its geographical range. There are no known threats to the species. The species is protected in ten reserves including De Hoop Nature Reserve, Polokwane Nature Reserve, Swartberg Nature Reserve, and Legalameetse Nature Reserve.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Manfred Grasshoff in 1971 as Drexelia natalensis, with the type locality given only as Natal. Known only from the female.[3]
References
- ^ Grasshoff, M. (1971). "Die Tribus Mangorini, III. Die Gattung Drexelia MacCook (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneidae-Araneinae)". Senckenbergiana Biologica. 52: 81–95.
- ^ "Larinia natalensis (Grasshoff, 1971)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
- ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N.; Webb, P. (2022). The Araneidae of South Africa. Version 2: part 2 (E-Ne). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 41. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6619195. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.