Suemus punctatus

Spotted Running Spider
male
male
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Philodromidae
Genus: Suemus
Species:
S. punctatus
Binomial name
Suemus punctatus
Lawrence, 1938[1]

Suemus punctatus is a species of spider in the family Philodromidae.[2] It is commonly known as the spotted running spider.[3]

Distribution

Suemus punctatus is known from Mozambique, Eswatini, and South Africa.[2] In South Africa, it has been recorded from six provinces, with an altitudinal range of 0-1438 m above sea level.[3]

Habitat and ecology

These are free-living plant dwellers sampled with sweep nets from vegetation. They have been sampled from the Fynbos, Grassland, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Forest, Nama Karoo, Savanna and Thicket biomes.[3]

Description

Etymology

Conservation

Suemus punctatus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide range. The species is protected in eight protected areas.[3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Lawrence (1938) from Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal. The genus has not been revised and the species is known from both sexes.[3]

References

  1. ^ Lawrence, R.F. (1938). "A collection of spiders from Natal and Zululand". Annals of the Natal Museum. 8: 455–524.
  2. ^ a b "Suemus punctatus Lawrence, 1938". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2022). The Philodromidae of South Africa. Version 2. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 24. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6634009. Retrieved 21 September 2025. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.