Asceua foordi

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Foord's Asceua spider
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Zodariidae
Genus: Asceua
Species:
A. foordi
Binomial name
Asceua foordi
Jocqué & Henrard, 2024 [1]

Asceua foordi is a species of spider in the family Zodariidae. [2] It is found in Africa and is commonly known as Foord's Asceua spider. [3]

Contents

Etymology

The species is named in memory of South African arachnologist Stefan Hendrik Foord (1971-2023).

Distribution

Asceua foordi occurs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, and South Africa. [3] Within South Africa, the species has been recorded from the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, including localities such as Coffee Bay, Kei Mouth, Mazeppa Bay, and several nature reserves. [3]

Habitat

The species occurs at altitudes ranging from 5 to 1,336 metres above sea level. In South Africa, it inhabits coastal forests where it has been collected using various methods including sweeping, litter sifting, and hand collecting. [3]

Description

The species is known from both sexes and is characterized by its ant-mimicking appearance, with a dark coloration and white spots on the abdomen. [3]

Ecology

Asceua foordi are free-living plant and litter-dwellers that mimic small black ants, which they probably prey upon. In tropical Africa, specimens have been collected from forest canopies using fogging techniques. [3]

Conservation

The species is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range across Africa. No significant threats have been identified. [3]

References

  1. Jocqué, R.; Henrard, A. (2024). "A new candidate for a Gondwanaland distribution in the Zodariidae (Araneae): Australutica in Africa". ZooKeys (1): 59–66. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1.10 .
  2. "Asceua foordi Jocqué & Henrard, 2024". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Jocqué, R.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2024). The Zodariidae of South Africa. Part 1 (A-D) version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 8. doi:10.5281/zenodo.14404920 . Retrieved 20 September 2025. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.