Camillina aldabrae

African Pearly-Eyed Ground Spider
Conservation status
Least Concern  (SANBI Red List)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Gnaphosidae
Genus:	Camillina
Species:	C. aldabrae
Binomial name
Camillina aldabrae (Strand, 1907)

Camillina aldabrae is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae. ^[1] It has a wide distribution from Aldabra to Central Africa and South Africa, and is commonly known as the African pearly-eyed ground spider. ^[2]

Distribution

Camillina aldabrae has a broad distribution from Aldabra to Central Africa and South Africa, and has been introduced to Borneo. In South Africa, it is known from four provinces, Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, and Western Cape. ^[2]

Habitat and ecology

The species is a free-living ground dweller found at altitudes ranging from 93 to 839 m above sea level. It has been sampled from Savanna and Thicket biomes, and has also been collected in maize fields. ^[2]

Description

See also: Glossary of spider terms

C. aldabrae is known from both sexes. ^[2]

Conservation

Camillina aldabrae is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide distribution range. The species is protected in Tembe Elephant Park, Ithala Nature Reserve, and Aardvark Nature Reserve. ^[2]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Strand in 1907 as Echemella aldabrae. It was revised by Platnick & Murphy in 1987. ^[2]

References

1. "Camillina aldabrae (Strand, 1907)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
2. 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. pp. 45–46. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197174 . Retrieved 22 September 2025.  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.