Ansiea tuckeri

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Tucker's crab spider
Ansiea tuckeri 194762392.jpg
female
Ansiea tuckeri 463972039.jpg
male
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Thomisidae
Genus: Ansiea
Species:
A. tuckeri
Binomial name
Ansiea tuckeri
(Lessert, 1919) [1]
Synonyms
  • Misumena tuckeriLessert, 1919
  • Misumenops tuckeriMillot, 1942

Ansiea tuckeri is a species of crab spider in the genus Ansiea . It is found across Africa and serves as the type species for its genus. [2] The species is commonly known as Tucker's crab spider. [3]

Contents

Distribution

Ansiea tuckeri has a wide distribution across Africa. It has been recorded from the Ivory Coast, São Tomé, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. [2]

In South Africa, the species is found in all provinces and is protected in 11 protected areas. It occurs at elevations ranging from 1 to 1,471 m above sea level. [3]

Habitat

Ansiea tuckeri is a free-living plant dweller that is frequently found on flowers and grasses. The species is common throughout South Africa and has been recorded from various biomes including Grassland, Savanna, Thicket, and the Indian Ocean Coastal Belt. It has also been found in agricultural settings, including avocado, macadamia, and pine plantations. [3]

Description

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Roger de Lessert in 1919 as Misumena tuckeri from specimens collected in Tanzania. [1] In 1942, Jacques Millot transferred the species to the genus Misumenops . [4] Ansie Dippenaar-Schoeman returned it to Misumena in 1983 during her revision of southern African thomisid genera. [5] Finally, in 2004, Pekka Lehtinen established the new genus Ansiea and designated this species as the type species, transferring it from Misumena. [6]

Conservation

The species is classified as Least Concern due to its wide geographical range and presence in multiple protected areas. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 Lessert, R. de (1919). "Araignées du Kilimandjaro et du Mérou (suite). 3. Thomisidae". Revue Suisse de Zoologie. 27 (5): 99–234. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.36325.
  2. 1 2 "Ansiea tuckeri (Lessert, 1919)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A. S.; Haddad, C. R.; Foord, S. H.; Lotz, L. N. (2020). "The Thomisidae of South Africa. Part 1 A-Mo". South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide: 1–62. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513274.
  4. ↑ Millot, J. (1942). "Les araignées de l'Afrique Occidentale Français: Thomisidae". Mémoires de l'Académie des Sciences de l'Institut de France. 2. 65 (1): 1–82.
  5. ↑ Dippenaar-Schoeman, A. S. (1983). "The spider genera Misumena, Misumenops, Runcinia and Thomisus (Araneae: Thomisidae) of southern Africa". Entomology Memoir, Department of Agriculture Republic of South Africa. 55: 1–66.
  6. ↑ Lehtinen, P. T. (2004). "Taxonomic notes on the Misumenini (Araneae: Thomisidae: Thomisinae), primarily from the Palaearctic and Oriental regions". Arthropoda Selecta. Special Issue 1: 147–184.
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