Aneplasa primaris

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Matjiesfontein Aneplasa Ground Spider
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Gnaphosidae
Genus: Aneplasa
Species:
A. primaris
Binomial name
Aneplasa primaris
Tucker, 1923 [1]

Aneplasa primaris is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae. [2] It is endemic to the Western Cape of South Africa and is commonly known as the Matjiesfontein Aneplasa ground spider.

Contents

Distribution

Aneplasa primaris is endemic to the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is known from three localities: Matjiesfontein, Montagu, and Worcester (Rabiesberg), all sampled prior to 1923. [3]

Habitat and ecology

The species is a ground dweller known from Fynbos and Succulent Karoo biomes at altitudes ranging from 22 to 912 m above sea level. [3]

Description

The carapace is medium brown, black-rimmed, and with a slightly darker lateral band on each side between border and centre. The border and central portion are clothed with whitish hairs, remainder with dark hairs. The abdomen has the usual light serrated median band, dark edged and more conspicuous posteriorly. The legs are a little paler than the carapace. Total length is 5 mm. [3]

Conservation

Aneplasa primaris is listed as Data Deficient for taxonomic reasons. No new material has been sampled since the original collection, and more sampling is needed to collect females and determine the species' range. [3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by R.W.E. Tucker in 1923 from Matjiesfontein in the Western Cape. It has not been revised since the original description and is known only from males. [3]

References

  1. Tucker, R. W. E. (1923). "The Drassidae of South Africa". Annals of the South African Museum. 19 (2): 251–437.
  2. "Aneplasa primaris Tucker, 1923". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. part 1 (A-D). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 14. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197174. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.