Pongolania pongola
| Pongolania pongola | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Phyxelididae |
| Genus: | Pongolania |
| Species: | P. pongola
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pongolania pongola | |
Pongolania pongola is a species of spider in the family Phyxelididae.[2] It is endemic to South Africa.[3]
Distribution
Pongolania pongola is known only from KwaZulu-Natal, specifically from Pongola at Farm Vergeval.[3] The species occurs at an altitude of 271 m above sea level.
Habitat and ecology
This species inhabits the Savanna biome.[3] Pongolania pongola is a ground-web cryptic spider that lives in dark places.[3]
Description
Conservation
Pongolania pongola is listed as Data Deficient due to lack of data and taxonomic reasons.[3] This Mpumalanga endemic is known only from a single female collected from the type locality in 1985. The status of the species remains obscure, and additional sampling is needed to collect males and determine the species' range. Threats to this species are unknown.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by Griswold in 1990 from specimens collected at Pongola.[1] Pongolania pongola serves as the type species for the genus Pongolania and is known from only the female.[3]
References
- ^ a b Griswold, C.E. (1990). "A revision and phylogenetic analysis of the spider subfamily Phyxelidinae (Araneae, Amaurobiidae)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 196: 1–206.
- ^ "Pongolania pongola Griswold, 1990". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Phyxelididae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 22. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6813843. Retrieved 24 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.