Penestomus zulu
| Penestomus zulu | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Penestomidae |
| Genus: | Penestomus |
| Species: | P. zulu
|
| Binomial name | |
| Penestomus zulu Miller, Griswold & Haddad, 2010
| |
Penestomus zulu is a species of spider in the family Penestomidae. It is endemic to KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa.[1]
Distribution
Penestomus zulu is known only from Mfongosi in KwaZulu-Natal.[2]
Habitat
The species inhabits the Savanna biome, where it constructs retreat-webs that are usually made underneath rocks.[2]
Description
Only females of Penestomus zulu are known to science.[2] The carapace is orange, lighter posteriorly with a smooth texture, covered by fine black setae and broad white setae. The sternum is pale. The chelicerae are red-brown with five promarginal teeth and two retromarginal teeth. The legs are dusky yellow with anterior legs orange distally. The opisthosoma is dark gray dorsally with indistinct light dorsolateral patches.[3]
Conservation
The species is listed as Data Deficient by the IUCN due to taxonomic reasons, as males remain unknown and the full species range requires further study.[2]
References
- ^ "Penestomus zulu Miller, Griswold & Haddad, 2010". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Penestomidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. Irene. pp. 1–15. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6813823. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ Miller, J.A.; Griswold, C.E.; Haddad, C.R. (2010). "Taxonomic revision of the spider family Penestomidae (Araneae, Entelegynae)". Zootaxa. 2534: 1–36. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.2534.1.1.