Diores godfreyi

Last updated

Godfrey's 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. godfreyi
Binomial name
Diores godfreyi
Hewitt, 1919 [1]

Diores godfreyi 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 Godfrey's Igloo spider. [3]

Contents

Distribution

Diores godfreyi is known only from the type locality of Ashton in the Western Cape. [3]

Habitat

The species inhabits the Fynbos biome at approximately 167 metres above sea level. [3]

Description

Only the female of Diores godfreyi is known, with a total length of 4.2 mm. The carapace is yellow and darkened in the ocular area, while the chelicerae are yellowish-orange and the legs are pale yellow. The opisthosoma is dorsally sepia with a pale median line starting from about one-third of the abdomen length and as wide as one-third of the abdomen width, with sinuous margins that are sometimes broken into several isolated spots. The remainder of the abdomen is pale. [4]

Ecology

Diores godfreyi are free-living ground-dwellers that construct igloo-shaped retreats typical of the genus Diores . [3]

Conservation

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

References

  1. Hewitt, J. (1919). "Descriptions of new South African Araneae and Solifugae". Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 6: 63–111.
  2. "Diores godfreyi Hewitt, 1919". 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. 66. 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.