Diores lesserti

Last updated

Swaziland 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. lesserti
Binomial name
Diores lesserti
Lawrence, 1952 [1]

Diores lesserti is a species of spider in the family Zodariidae. [2] It occurs in southern Africa and is commonly known as the Swaziland Igloo spider. [3]

Contents

Distribution

Diores lesserti is found in Lesotho, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), and South Africa. [2] In South Africa, it has been recorded from three provinces: KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga, with numerous records from Kruger National Park. [3]

Habitat

The species inhabits the Savanna biome at altitudes ranging from 47 to 1131 m above sea level. [3]

Description

Males of Diores lesserti have a total length of 3.70 mm, while females are larger at 5.68 mm. The carapace is orange with a slightly darker margin, the sternum is yellow, and the chelicerae match the carapace coloration. The legs are yellow, and the opisthosoma has a sepia dorsum almost entirely covered by a brownish-yellow scutum in males. Females have similar but slightly darker coloration overall. [4]

Ecology

Diores lesserti 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 Least Concern due to its wide geographical range. It is protected in five protected areas, including Blouberg Nature Reserve. [3]

References

  1. ↑ Lawrence, R.F. (1952). "New spiders from the eastern half of South Africa". Annals of the Natal Museum. 12: 183–226.
  2. 1 2 "Diores lesserti Lawrence, 1952". 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. 70. 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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.