Mystaria lata
| Lata Beetle Crab Spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Mystaria |
| Species: | M. lata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Mystaria lata | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Mystaria lata is a species of spider in the family Thomisidae.[2] It is endemic to southern Africa and is commonly known as the lata beetle crab spider.[3]
Distribution
Mystaria lata is found in Namibia and South Africa.[2]
In South Africa, the species is known from three provinces. Notable locations include Cwebe Nature Reserve, Vryheid Nature Reserve and Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve.[3]
Habitat and ecology
Mystaria lata is sampled by beating and sweeping vegetation in grasslands and wooded grasslands of coastal dune forests. The species has also been found near rivers and estuaries.[3]
It has been collected from Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Savanna and Thicket biomes at altitudes ranging from 19 to 1,212 m.[3]
Adults were sampled between October and January, while juveniles were collected in December.[4]
Description
Conservation
Mystaria lata is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. The species is protected in three reserves including Blyde River Nature Reserve, Cwebe Nature Reserve and Vryheid Nature Reserve.[3]
Taxonomy
Mystaria lata was originally described as Paramystaria lata by Reginald Frederick Lawrence in 1927 from Namibia.[1] The species was transferred to Mystaria and revised by Lewis and Dippenaar-Schoeman in 2014.[4]
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Mystaria lata (Lawrence, 1927)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Thomisidae of South Africa. Part 2 My-R. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 6. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513276. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ a b Lewis, A.S.H.; Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S. (2014). "Revision of the spider genus Mystaria Simon, 1895 (Araneae: Thomisidae) and the description of a new genus from the Afrotropical region". Zootaxa. 3873 (2): 101–144. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3873.2.1. hdl:2263/50481. PMID 25544210.