| Mpumalanga Anyphops Flat Spider | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Selenopidae |
| Genus: | Anyphops |
| Species: | A. fitzsimonsi |
| Binomial name | |
| Anyphops fitzsimonsi (Lawrence, 1940) [1] | |
Anyphops fitzsimonsi is a species of spider in the family Selenopidae. [2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as Mpumalanga Anyphops flat spider. [3]
Anyphops fitzsimonsi occurs in three South African provinces: Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and North West. [3] Notable localities include Barberton, Nelspruit, Pretoria, and the Lowveld National Botanical Garden. [3]
The species inhabits Savanna and Grassland biomes at altitudes ranging from 270 to 1394 m above sea level. [3] These are free-living cryptozoic nocturnal spiders that have been sampled from trees in avocado, macadamia and citrus orchards and commercial pine plantations. [3] Specimens have also been found in houses. [3]
Known only from the male. [3] The carapace is yellow-brown without radiations from thoracic striae, with a lighter parallel-sided broad yellow area behind the eyes as wide as the ocular row, bisected by the striae which continues as a brown stripe onto the cephalic region. [3]
The broad median area of carapace is bordered at the sides by a wavy brown line, and the eyes are black. The opisthosoma is yellow above with a few indistinct brown markings, while the under surface and legs are yellow without black bands. The anterior tibiae have 6 pairs of inferior spines. [3]
Total length is 8.6 mm. [3]
Anyphops fitzsimonsi is listed as Least Concern due to its wide geographical range. [3] The species receives protection in the Lowveld National Botanical Garden and Bergvliet State Forest. [3]
The species was originally described by Lawrence in 1940 as Selenops fitzsimonsi from Barberton in Mpumalanga. [1] It was later transferred to the genus Anyphops by Benoit in 1968. [3]
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.