Enoplognatha molesta

Long Jawed Comb-Foot Spider
	Female
	Male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Theridiidae
Genus:	Enoplognatha
Species:	E. molesta
Binomial name
	Enoplognatha molesta; O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904

Last updated October 05, 2025

Enoplognatha molesta is a species of spider in the family Theridiidae.^[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the long jawed comb-foot spider.^[3]

Distribution

Enoplognatha molesta is found only in South Africa,^[2] where it has a wide distribution throughout all nine provinces.^[3]

Description

female with egg sacs
female
male
male

Habitat and ecology

This species is very commonly found on vegetation as well as the soil surface. The species was very commonly sampled from crops: citrus, cotton, maize, potatoes, sorghum, strawberries, sugarcane, and tomatoes. It was found to be among the most abundant spiders collected from cotton. This species has been sampled from the Desert, Fynbos, Grassland, Savanna, and Succulent Karoo biomes.^[3]

The species has been sampled at altitudes ranging from 22 to 1998 m.^[3]

Conservation

Enoplognatha molesta is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. There are no significant threats to this species. It is protected in more than ten protected areas.^[3]

Taxonomy

Enoplognatha molesta was described by Octavius Pickard-Cambridge in 1904 from Simonstown.^[1] The species is known from both sexes.^[3]

References

1 2 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.
1 2 "Enoplognatha molesta O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Theridiidae of South Africa. Part 1 A-P. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 25–26. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7515890. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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[pickard1904-1] 1 2 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.

[wsc-2] 1 2 "Enoplognatha molesta O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.

[dippenaar2021-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Theridiidae of South Africa. Part 1 A-P. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 25–26. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7515890. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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