Diores capensis

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Cape Igloo spider
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Zodariidae
Genus: Diores
Species:
D. capensis
Binomial name
Diores capensis
Tucker, 1920 [1]

Diores capensis is a species of spider in the family Zodariidae. [2] It is endemic to the Western Cape province of South Africa and is commonly known as the Cape Igloo spider. [3]

Contents

Distribution

Diores capensis is known from four localities in the Western Cape: Bergvliet, Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve at Olifantsbos, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, and Table Mountain National Park. [3]

Habitat

The species inhabits the Fynbos biome at altitudes ranging from 9 to 1069 metres above sea level. [3]

Description

Only males of Diores capensis are known, with a total length of 3.35 mm. The coloration varies between specimens, with some being entirely pale yellow due to bleaching. Better-preserved specimens from Olifantsbos show a brownish-yellow carapace with a dark pattern characterized by two oval patches with paler centers in front of the fovea. The chelicerae are brown with darker patterns, and the opisthosoma is entirely sepia, darker on the scutum and paler on the venter. [4]

Ecology

Diores capensis are free-living ground-dwellers that construct igloo-shaped retreats with small stones, typical behavior for the genus Diores . [3]

Conservation

The species is listed as Vulnerable under criterion B due to its restricted distribution and ongoing habitat loss outside protected areas caused by urban development. It is protected in Table Mountain National Park and Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens. [3]

References

  1. ↑ Tucker, R.W.E. (1920). "Contributions to the South African Arachnid Fauna. II. On some new South African spiders of the families Barychelidae, Dipluridae, Eresidae, Zodariidae, Heracliidae, Urocteidae, Clubionidae". Annals of the South African Museum. 17: 439–488.
  2. ↑ "Diores capensis Tucker, 1920". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 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. 61. 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.
  4. ↑ Jocqué, R. (1990). "A revision of the Afrotropical genus Diores (Araneae, Zodariidae)". Annales, Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Sciences zoologiques. 260: 1–81.
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