Leucauge thomeensis

Thomeensis Silver Vlei Spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Tetragnathidae
Genus: Leucauge
Species:
L. thomeensis
Binomial name
Leucauge thomeensis
Kraus, 1960[1]

Leucauge thomeensis is a species of spider in the family Tetragnathidae.[2] It is commonly known as the thomeensis silver vlei spider.[3]

Distribution

Leucauge thomeensis is found in São Tomé and Príncipe, Botswana, and South Africa.[2]

In South Africa, the species is recorded only from the Eastern Cape, specifically from Jeffrey's Bay, Thyspunt, Storms River, and Addo Elephant National Park.[3]

Habitat and ecology

The species makes orb-webs low in grass and has been sampled from the Fynbos and Thicket biomes.[3]

Description

Known only from males.[3]

Conservation

Leucauge thomeensis is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute.[3] The species is protected in Addo Elephant National Park.[3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Otto Kraus in 1960 from São Tomé.[1] The presence of the species in southern Africa still needs to be confirmed.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Kraus, O. (1960). "Mission du Muséum dans les îles du Golfe de Guinée. Araneae von der Insel São Thomé, West-Afrika (Arach.)". Revue Française d'Entomologie. 27: 92–100.
  2. ^ a b "Leucauge thomeensis Kraus, 1960". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g 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. 25. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513261. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.