Pherecydes nicolaasi
| Nico's Pherecydes Crab Spider | |
|---|---|
| male | |
| male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Pherecydes |
| Species: | P. nicolaasi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pherecydes nicolaasi Dippenaar-Schoeman, 1980[1]
| |
Pherecydes nicolaasi is a species of spider in the family Thomisidae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as Nico's Pherecydes crab spider.[3]
Distribution
Pherecydes nicolaasi is found in South Africa,[2] where it is known from the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Limpopo.[3]
Notable locations include Grahamstown, Ngome State Forest, Pietermaritzburg, Tembe Elephant Park, Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve, Luvhondo Nature Reserve, Polokwane Nature Reserve, Lekgalameetse Nature Reserve, and Magoebaskloof.[3]
Habitat and ecology
Pherecydes nicolaasi inhabits the Grassland, Thicket, Savanna, and Forest biomes at altitudes ranging from 91 to 1411 m.[3] These are tree and grass dwellers.[3]
Description
Conservation
Pherecydes nicolaasi is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range.[3] The species is well protected in six reserves.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Dippenaar-Schoeman in 1980 from Ngome State Forest in KwaZulu-Natal.[1] Both sexes are known.[3]
References
- ^ a b Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S. (1980). "The crab-spiders of southern Africa (Araneae: Thomisidae). 2. The genera Pherecydes Pickard-Cambridge, 1883 and Smodicinus Simon, 1895". Journal of the Entomological Society of South Africa. 43: 327–340.
- ^ a b "Pherecydes nicolaasi Dippenaar-Schoeman, 1980". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h 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. 39. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513276. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.