Mystaria mnyama
| Tembe's Beetle Crab Spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Mystaria |
| Species: | M. mnyama
|
| Binomial name | |
| Mystaria mnyama Lewis & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 2014[1]
| |
Mystaria mnyama is a species of spider in the family Thomisidae.[2] It is endemic to KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa and is commonly known as Tembe's beetle crab spider.[3]
Distribution
Mystaria mnyama is found only in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.[2] It has been sampled from Tembe Elephant Park and iSimangaliso Wetland Park.[3]
Habitat and ecology
Mystaria mnyama has been sampled from sweeping and beating vegetation in open woodlands at altitudes ranging from 5 to 91 m.[3]
Only two adults are known, both sampled in July.[1]
Description
Conservation
Mystaria mnyama is listed as Data Deficient by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. The status of the species remains obscure and more sampling is needed to determine the species range. The species is protected in Tembe Elephant Park and St. Lucia Nature Reserve.[3]
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Mystaria mnyama Lewis & Dippenaar-Schoeman, 2014". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ a b c d 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. 8. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513276. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.