Nemoscolus cotti
| Cott's Stone-Nest Spider | |
|---|---|
| Female | |
| Juvenile male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Araneidae |
| Genus: | Nemoscolus |
| Species: | N. cotti
|
| Binomial name | |
| Nemoscolus cotti Lessert, 1933[1]
| |
Nemoscolus cotti is a species of spider in the family Araneidae.[2] It is commonly known as Cott's stone-nest spider.[3]
Distribution
Nemoscolus cotti is a Southern African endemic with a wide distribution across Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa.[3]
In South Africa, the species occurs in seven provinces, Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Northern Cape.The species has a large geographical range, occurring at altitudes ranging from 93 to 1,838 m above sea level.[3]
Habitat and ecology
Nemoscolus cotti is an orb-web spider that makes a stone nest in the centre of the orb-web, usually in grass.[3]
The species is known from the Savanna, Nama Karoo and Grassland biomes.[3]
Description
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female
-
female
-
female
-
juvenile male
Conservation
Nemoscolus cotti is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range.[3] There are no known threats to the species. It is protected in six protected areas including Erfenis Dam Nature Reserve, Kruger National Park, Blouberg Nature Reserve and Marakele National Park.[3]
Taxonomy
Nemoscolus cotti has not been revised and is known only from the male. The female has been collected but remains undescribed.[3]
References
- ^ Lessert, R. de (1933). "Araignées d'Angola. Résultats de la Mission scientifique suisse en Angola 1928-1929". Revue Suisse de Zoologie. 40 (1): 85–159. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.117656.
- ^ "Nemoscolus cotti Lessert, 1933". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N.; Webb, P. (2022). The Araneidae of South Africa. Version 2: part 2 (E-Ne). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 51. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6619195. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.