Diores cognatus

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Cape Peninsula 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. cognatus
Binomial name
Diores cognatus
O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904 [1]

Diores cognatus 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 Peninsula Igloo spider. [3]

Contents

Distribution

Diores cognatus is known only from the type locality on the Cape Peninsula. [3]

Habitat

The species inhabits the Fynbos biome. [3]

Description

Only the male of Diores cognatus is known, with a total length of 3.38 mm. The carapace and chelicerae are greyish-yellow, while the sternum and legs are pale yellow. The opisthosoma has a pale sepia brown scutum on a darkened dorsum, with the remainder of the abdomen being pale. [4]

Ecology

Diores cognatus are free-living ground-dwellers that construct igloo-shaped retreats with small stones, characteristic behavior of the genus Diores . [3]

Conservation

The species is listed as Data Deficient due to lack of data and taxonomic reasons. The female remains unknown, and additional sampling is needed to collect females and determine the species' range. [3]

References

  1. ↑ Pickard-Cambridge, O. (1904). "Descriptions of some new species and characters of three new genera, of Araneidea from South Africa". Annals of the South African Museum. 3: 143–165.
  2. ↑ "Diores cognatus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904". 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. 62. 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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