Stiphropus affinis
| Stiphropus affinis | |
|---|---|
| S. affinis from Zimbabwe | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Stiphropus |
| Species: | S. affinis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Stiphropus affinis Lessert, 1923
| |
Stiphropus affinis is a species of spider of the genus Stiphropus. It is endemic to southern Africa, where it occurs in Botswana and South Africa.[1][2]
Distribution
Stiphropus affinis has been recorded from Botswana and eight provinces of South Africa. In South Africa, it has been found in the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, and Western Cape provinces.[2] The species occurs at elevations ranging from 22 to 1,416 meters above sea level.[2]
Habitat
Stiphropus affinis is free-living in low vegetation close to ground level. It has been sampled from multiple biomes including the Grassland, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Nama Karoo, Savanna and Thicket biomes.[2]
Description
Females have a body length of 5.2 mm, with males only 3.5 mm.[3]
Females
In females, the cephalothorax is black with orange-colored projections around the anterior lateral and posterior lateral eyes. The chelicerae, mouthparts, sternum, and legs are dark brown to black. The opisthosoma is dark grayish-black. The cephalothorax is brilliant, punctured and covered with granulations, approximately as long as wide, slightly rounded on the sides and slightly narrowed toward the front.[3]
The anterior eyes are arranged in an almost straight line at their bases, with the median eyes about one-third smaller than the lateral eyes. The posterior eyes are unequal in size, arranged in a strongly recurved line. The median eyes of both rows, viewed from the front, are unequal and arranged in a strongly backward-sloping trapezoid that is wider at the back than in length.[3]
The chelicerae are vertical, flat and covered with granulations at the front, with the lower margin smooth and the upper margin bearing a series of nine spiniform teeth. The legs are covered with granulations, with the first pair having robust tibiae that are slightly dilated at the front.[3]
The opisthosoma is depressed and finely granulated, as wide as long, marked above with three impressions. The epigyne is not very distinct, marked with a poorly defined depression limited at the front by a semicircular chitinous border and at the back by two lobes joined along the median line.[3]
Males
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male
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male
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male
Males have similar coloration and characteristics to the female, but with a non-attenuated cephalothorax at the front, with nearly parallel and straight borders. The pedipalps are dark brown.[3]
Conservation status
Stiphropus affinis is listed as Least Concern due to its wide geographical range in southern Africa.[2] The species has an estimated extent of occurrence of 666,224 km² and an area of occupancy of 60 km².[2] It is protected in several protected areas including Addo Elephant National Park, Kruger National Park, and Karoo National Park.[2]
References
- ^ "Stiphropus affinis Lessert, 1923". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Thomisidae of South Africa. Part 3 Sm-T. Version 1. Irene: South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 1–79. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513278. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
- ^ a b c d e f Lessert, R. de (1923). "Araignées du sud de l'Afrique". Revue Suisse de Zoologie. 30: 161–212.