Leucauge medjensis
| Medjensis Silver Vlei Spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Tetragnathidae |
| Genus: | Leucauge |
| Species: | L. medjensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Leucauge medjensis | |
Leucauge medjensis is a species of spider in the family Tetragnathidae.[2] It is commonly known as the medjensis silver vlei spider.[3]
Distribution
Leucauge medjensis is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and South Africa.[2]
In South Africa, the species is recorded from the provinces Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species makes orb-webs in vegetation and has been sampled from Forest, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Grassland, Savanna, and Thicket biomes at altitudes ranging from 29 to 1,297 m. It has also been recorded from citrus orchards.[3]
Description
The species is nown only from females. It is small with a round oval abdomen. The abdomen has black spots on the shoulders and the posterior end has a tail.[3]
Conservation
Leucauge medjensis is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range.[3] The species is protected in Ndumo Game Reserve.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Roger de Lessert in 1930 from what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[1]
References
- ^ a b Lessert, R. de (1930). "Araignées du Congo recueillies au cours de l'expédition organisée par l'American Museum (1909-1915). Quatrième et dernière partie". Revue Suisse de Zoologie. 37: 613–672.
- ^ a b "Leucauge medjensis Lessert, 1930". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ a b c d e f 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. p. 24. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513261. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.