Zelotes gooldi
| St Helena Dark Ground Spider | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Gnaphosidae |
| Genus: | Zelotes |
| Species: | Z. gooldi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Zelotes gooldi | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Zelotes gooldi is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.[2] It is endemic to southern Africa and is commonly known as the St Helena dark ground spider.[3]
Distribution
Zelotes gooldi is found in three countries: Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.[2] In South Africa, it has a wide distribution across four provinces: Eastern Cape, Free State, Northern Cape, and Western Cape. The species occurs at altitudes ranging from 109 to 1,576 m above sea level.[3]
Notable collection localities include Burgersdorp, Cradock, Bloemfontein, Douglas, De Aar, Hanover, Caledon, Gamkaberg Nature Reserve, St. Helena Bay, Worcester, and multiple sites within the Cederberg Wilderness Area.[3]
Habitat and ecology
Zelotes gooldi are free-running spiders that inhabit the Fynbos, Grassland, and Nama Karoo biomes.[3]
Description
Conservation
Zelotes gooldi is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographic range across southern Africa. The species faces no significant threats and is protected in the Gamkaberg Nature Reserve and Cederberg Wilderness Area.[3]
Taxonomy
The species was originally described by William Frederick Purcell in 1907 from St. Helena in the Western Cape as Melanophora gooldi. FitzPatrick's 2007 revision synonymized Zelotes cronwrighti Tucker, 1923 with Z. gooldi. The species is known from both sexes.[3]
References
- ^ Purcell, W.F. (1907). "New South African spiders of the family Drassidae in the collection of the South African Museum". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 20 (118): 297–336. doi:10.1080/00222930709487339.
- ^ a b "Zelotes gooldi (Purcell, 1907)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
- ^ a b c d e f Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 4 (Z). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 21–22. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197783. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.