| Marble Hall Igloo spider | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Zodariidae |
| Genus: | Diores |
| Species: | D. rectus |
| Binomial name | |
| Diores rectus Jocqué, 1990 [1] | |
Diores rectus is a species of spider in the family Zodariidae. [2] It occurs in Africa and is commonly known as the Marble Hall Igloo spider. [3]
Diores rectus is found in Malawi, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. [2] In South Africa, it has been recorded from three provinces: the Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga. The species was originally described from Farm Wolwekraal near Marble Hall in Mpumalanga. [3]
The species inhabits the Grassland and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 241 to 1467 metres above sea level. It has also been sampled from cotton fields. [3]
Males of Diores rectus have a total length of 3.54 mm, while females are larger at 5.46 mm. The prosoma is pale yellow in both sexes. Males have a dark sepia opisthosoma that is purplish in front where there is a faint dorsal scutum, followed by a row of three or four white patches, with the sides and venter being pale. Females have a yellow carapace with a triangular, slightly darkened area in front of the fovea, light orange chelicerae, and the abdomen has a pale patch on a dark sepia background with pale sides and venter. [1]
Diores rectus are free-living ground-dwellers that have been sampled using pitfall traps from grassland and savanna environments. [3]
The species is listed as Least Concern due to its wide geographical range. It is protected in Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, Kruger National Park, and Ben Lavin Nature Reserve. [3]
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.