Habrocestum sapiens

Zimbabwe Habrocestum Jumping Spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Salticidae
Subfamily:	Salticinae
Genus:	Habrocestum
Species:	H. sapiens
Binomial name
	Habrocestum sapiens; (G. W. Peckham & E. G. Peckham, 1903)
Synonyms
	Saitis sapiensPeckham & Peckham, 1903 ;

Last updated October 15, 2025

Habrocestum sapiens is a species of spider in the family Salticidae.^[2] It is found in southern Africa and is commonly known as Zimbabwe Habrocestum jumping spider.^[3]

Distribution

Habrocestum sapiens is found in Zimbabwe and South Africa.^[2]

In South Africa, it is known only from the De Hoop Nature Reserve in Western Cape province.^[3]

Habitat and ecology

Habrocestum sapiens is a free-living ground dweller that inhabits the Fynbos biome at altitudes of 15 m.^[3]

Description

Conservation

Habrocestum sapiens is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range in southern Africa. There are no known threats and the species is protected in the De Hoop Nature Reserve.^[3]

Taxonomy

Habrocestum sapiens was originally described in 1903 as Saitis sapiens from Zimbabwe and is known only from the male. The species is misplaced and belongs in Evarcha , but its transfer has not yet been formalized. The South African specimens may be misidentified.^[1]^[3]

References

1 2 Peckham, G.W.; Peckham, E.G. (1903). "New species of the family Attidae from South Africa, with notes on the distribution of the genera found in the Ethiopian region". Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. 14 (1): 173–278.
1 2 3 "Habrocestum sapiens (G. W. Peckham & E. G. Peckham, 1903)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Van der Walt, V.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2025). The Salticidae of South Africa. Part 2 (E-Ha). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 54. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15266589. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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[peckham1903-1] 1 2 Peckham, G.W.; Peckham, E.G. (1903). "New species of the family Attidae from South Africa, with notes on the distribution of the genera found in the Ethiopian region". Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. 14 (1): 173–278.

[wsc-2] 1 2 3 "Habrocestum sapiens (G. W. Peckham & E. G. Peckham, 1903)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.

[dippenaar2025-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Van der Walt, V.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2025). The Salticidae of South Africa. Part 2 (E-Ha). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 54. doi:10.5281/zenodo.15266589. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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