Neoscona novella
| Neoscona Orb-Web Spider | |
|---|---|
| Female | |
| Female | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Araneidae |
| Genus: | Neoscona |
| Species: | N. novella
|
| Binomial name | |
| Neoscona novella | |
Neoscona novella is a species of spider in the family Araneidae.[2] It is an endemic species to Africa.[3]
Distribution
Neoscona novella is known from Equatorial Guinea (Bioko) and South Africa.[3]
In South Africa, the species is known from five provinces at altitudes ranging from 62 to 1,369 m above sea level. These include Eastern Cape (Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve), Limpopo, North West, Northern Cape, and Western Cape (Cape Town).[3]
Habitat and ecology
Neoscona novella consists of small orb-web spiders that make orb-webs in vegetation at night and remove them early in the morning. The species has been sampled from the Fynbos, Savanna, and Nama Karoo biomes.[3]
Description
Neoscona novella is known only from the female. It is a small orb-web spider that constructs webs in vegetation.[3]
Conservation
Neoscona novella is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute because it occurs over a large area. There are no known threats to the species. The species is protected in Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve, Mogalakwena Nature Reserve, and Rooipoort Game Reserve.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1907 from Bioko as Araneus novellus. It was revised by Grasshoff in 1986.[4]
References
- ^ Simon, E. (1907). "Arachnides recueillis par L. Fea sur la côte occidentale d'Afrique". Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova. 43: 218–323.
- ^ "Neoscona novella (Simon, 1907)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N.; Webb, P. (2022). The Araneidae of South Africa. Version 2: part 3 (Ne-Z). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 8. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6326991. Retrieved 21 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ Grasshoff, M. (1986). "Die Radnetzspinnen-Gattung Neoscona in Afrika (Arachnida: Araneae)". Annalen Zoologische Wetenschappen. 250: 1–123.