Monaeses fuscus
| Brown Monaeses Crab Spider | |
|---|---|
| male | |
| male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Monaeses |
| Species: | M. fuscus
|
| Binomial name | |
| Monaeses fuscus Dippenaar-Schoeman, 1984[1]
| |
Monaeses fuscus is a species of spider in the family Thomisidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the brown Monaeses crab spider.[3]
Distribution
Monaeses fuscus is found only in South Africa,[2] where it has been sampled from five provinces.[3] Notable locations include Polokwane Nature Reserve, Giant's Castle Game Reserve, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, and iSimangaliso Wetland Park.[3]
Habitat and ecology
Monaeses fuscus is mainly sampled from grass in Forest, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Savanna and Grassland biomes at altitudes ranging from 45 to 1,842 m.[3]
The species has also been sampled from crops such as cotton and potato plants.[3]
Description
Conservation
Monaeses fuscus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range.[3] It is protected in six reserves including Polokwane Nature Reserve and Lekgalameetse Nature Reserve.[3]
References
- ^ Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S. (1984). "The crab-spiders of southern Africa (Araneae: Thomisidae). 4. The genus Monaeses Thorell, 1869". Phytophylactica. 16: 101–116.
- ^ a b "Monaeses fuscus Dippenaar-Schoeman, 1984". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Thomisidae of South Africa. Part 1 A-Mo. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 56. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513274. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.