Monaeses quadrituberculatus

Round Tail 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. quadrituberculatus
Binomial name
Monaeses quadrituberculatus

Monaeses quadrituberculatus is a species of spider in the family Thomisidae.[2] It is endemic to Africa and is commonly known as the round tail Monaeses crab spider.[3]

Distribution

Monaeses quadrituberculatus is found in Tanzania, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.[2]

In South Africa, the species is known from eight provinces.[3] Notable locations include Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Addo Elephant National Park, Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, and Richtersveld National Park.[3]

Habitat and ecology

Monaeses quadrituberculatus is mainly sampled from grass.[3] The species has been collected from Desert, Forest, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Nama Karoo, Succulent Karoo, Savanna and Grassland biomes at altitudes ranging from 29 to 2,020 m.[3]

Some individuals have also been collected from crops such as lucerne and pistachio orchards.[3]

Description

Conservation

Monaeses quadrituberculatus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range.[3] The species is protected in 12 protected areas.[3]

Taxonomy

Monaeses quadrituberculatus was originally described by Reginald Frederick Lawrence in 1927 from Namibia.[1] The species was revised by Dippenaar-Schoeman in 1984.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b Lawrence, R.F. (1927). "Contributions to a knowledge of the fauna of South-West Africa V. Arachnida". Annals of the South African Museum. 25 (1): 1–75.
  2. ^ a b "Monaeses quadrituberculatus Lawrence, 1927". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h 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. 62. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513274. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  4. ^ Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S. (1984). "The crab-spiders of southern Africa (Araneae: Thomisidae). 4. The genus Monaeses Thorell, 1869". Phytophylactica. 16: 101–116.