Leucauge festiva
| Festiva Silver Vlei Spider | |
|---|---|
| female | |
| male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Tetragnathidae |
| Genus: | Leucauge |
| Species: | L. festiva
|
| Binomial name | |
| Leucauge festiva | |
| blue: reported countries (WSC) green: observation hotspots (iNaturalist) | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Leucauge festiva is a species of spider in the family Tetragnathidae.[2] It is commonly known as the festiva silver vlei spider.[3]
Distribution
Leucauge festiva has a widespread distribution throughout Africa, including Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Equatorial Africa, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, and Madagascar.[2]
In South Africa, the species is found in all provinces.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species makes orb-webs, sometimes near water or in shaded damp areas. They are active during the day, hanging head down in their webs.[3]
L. festiva has been sampled from Fynbos, Forest, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Grassland, Nama Karoo, and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 15 to 1,999 m.[3] It has also been sampled from avocado and macadamia orchards as well as pumpkin and tomato fields.[3]
Description
-
female
-
female
-
male
The species is medium-sized with an elongate abdomen featuring a brightly coloured mask-like pattern. The posterior end is blunt.[3]
The epigyne has a scape.[3] Male chelicerae have tubercles.[3]
Conservation
Leucauge festiva is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range.[3] The species is protected in more than ten protected areas.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by John Blackwall in 1866 from Equatorial Africa as Tetragnatha festiva.[1]
References
- ^ a b Blackwall, J. (1866). "A list of spiders captured in the south-east region of equatorial Africa, with descriptions of such species as appear to be new to arachnologists". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 3. 18 (108): 451–468. doi:10.1080/00222936608679683.
- ^ a b c "Leucauge festiva (Blackwall, 1866)". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2023). The Tetragnathidae of South Africa. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 19–20. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513261. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.