Palpimanus potteri
| Potter's Palp-Footed Spider | |
|---|---|
| female | |
| female | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Palpimanidae |
| Genus: | Palpimanus |
| Species: | P. potteri
|
| Binomial name | |
| Palpimanus potteri | |
Palpimanus potteri is a species of spider in the family Palpimanidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as Potter's palp-footed spider.[3]
Distribution
Palpimanus potteri is known from two provinces in South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo.[3]
Habitat and ecology
The species is a free-living ground dweller, some specimens have been found in rocky areas. It has been sampled from the Savanna biome at altitudes ranging from 31 to 1119 m above sea level.[3]
Description
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female
-
female
-
female
The species is known only from the female. The carapace is red, abdomen orange-brown, legs II-IV yellow; leg I, sternum, and mouth-parts a little lighter red than carapace. The carapace is covered with fine granules, fairly thickly clothed, especially in the region of the eyes, with grey hairs (blackish in their proximal halves); sternum with evenly distributed coarse round granules much larger than those of the carapace. Total length is 7-8 mm.[3]
Conservation
Palpimanus potteri is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. Although only known from one sex, this species has a wide distribution. There are no significant threats to the species. It is protected in the Hluhluwe Nature Reserve, Mkuze Game, Ndumo Game Reserve and Tembe Elephant Park.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Reginald Frederick Lawrence in 1937 from Hluhluwe.[3]
References
- ^ Lawrence, R.F. (1937). "A collection of Arachnida from Zululand". Annals of the Natal Museum. 8: 224. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.51973.
- ^ "Palpimanus potteri Lawrence, 1937". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-27.
- ^ a b c d e f Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Palpimanidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 19. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6813794. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.