Mystaria variabilis
| Tanzania Beetle Crab Spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Mystaria |
| Species: | M. variabilis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Mystaria variabilis | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Mystaria variabilis is a species of spider in the family Thomisidae.[2] It is endemic to Africa and is commonly known as Tanzania beetle crab spider.[3]
Distribution
Mystaria variabilis is found in Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and South Africa.[2]
In South Africa, the species is known from Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Notable locations include Port Alfred, Addo Elephant National Park, Mkhambathi Nature Reserve and iSimangaliso Wetland Park.[3]
Habitat and ecology
Mystaria variabilis is sampled from vegetation in Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Thicket and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 1 to 59 m.[3]
Adults were found throughout the year, while juveniles were collected from May until October.[4]
Description
Conservation
Mystaria variabilis is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range.[3] The species is protected in three protected areas including Addo Elephant National Park, Mkhambathi Nature Reserve and Kosi Bay Nature Reserve.[3]
Taxonomy
Mystaria variabilis was originally described as Paramystaria variabilis by Roger de Lessert in 1919 from Tanzania.[1] The species was transferred to Mystaria and revised by Lewis and Dippenaar-Schoeman in 2014.[4]
References
- ^ a b Lessert, R. de (1919). "Araignées du Kilimandjaro et du Mérou (suite). 3. Thomisidae". Revue Suisse de Zoologie. 27 (5): 99–234. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.36325.
- ^ a b "Mystaria variabilis (Lessert, 1919)". 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. 13. 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.