Cheiracanthium africanum

African Sac Spider
Conservation status
Least Concern  (SANBI Red List)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Cheiracanthiidae
Genus:	Cheiracanthium
Species:	C. africanum
Binomial name
Cheiracanthium africanum Lessert, 1921
Synonyms
Cheiracanthium franganilloiCaporiacco, 1949 Cheiracanthium tenuipes Roewer, 1961 Cheiracanthium nigropalpatumSchmidt & Jocqué, 1983

Cheiracanthium africanum is a species of spider in the family Cheiracanthiidae. It is an African endemic originally described from Tanzania and is recorded from 16 African countries. ^{[1] [2]}

Distribution

In South Africa, the species is known from all nine provinces at elevations from 20-2398 m above sea level. ^[2]

Habitat

This species is a free-living plant dweller that constructs silk retreats in rolled-up leaves. It has been collected from a wide variety of habitats including gardens, grasslands, cultivated crops, shrubs, trees and from under stones. The species has been sampled from all floral biomes except Desert and Succulent Karoo. ^[2]

Conservation

Due to its wide geographical range, it is listed as Least Concern. It has been sampled from more than 20 protected areas. ^[2]

References

1. "Cheiracanthium africanum Lessert, 1921". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
2. Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Cheiracanthiidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. Irene. pp. 1–62. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6033586.  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.