Heliophanus africanus

Gauteng Heliophanus Sunny Jumping Spider
	juvenile female
	juvenile female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Salticidae
Genus:	Heliophanus
Species:	H. africanus
Binomial name
	Heliophanus africanus; Wesołowska, 1986

Last updated November 05, 2025

Heliophanus africanus is a species of jumping spider in the family Salticidae.^[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the Gauteng Heliophanus sunny jumping spider.^[3]

Distribution

Heliophanus africanus is endemic to South Africa,^[2] where it is found in Melville Koppies and Irene in Gauteng Province.^[3]

Habitat and ecology

This species is a free-living plant-dweller sampled from the Grassland Biome.^[3] It has been found at altitudes ranging from 144 to 1719 m.^[3]

Description

Conservation

Heliophanus africanus is listed as Data Deficient by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to limited sampling.The species is presently known only from two localities in Gauteng. Additional sampling is needed to collect the male and determine the species' range.^[3]

Taxonomy

Heliophanus africanus was described by Wesołowska in 1986 from Melville Koppies in Gauteng.^[1]

References

1 2 Wesołowska, W. (1986). "A revision of the genus Heliophanus C. L. Koch, 1833 (Aranei: Salticidae)". Annales Zoologici, Warszawa. 40: 1–254.
1 2 "Heliophanus africanus Wesołowska, 1986". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2025-10-01.
1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Walt, V. van der; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2025). The Salticidae of South Africa. Part 3 (He-Iran). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 35. doi:10.5281/zenodo.17103454. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

External links

Citizen science observations for Heliophanus africanus at iNaturalist

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[wesolowska1986-1] 1 2 Wesołowska, W. (1986). "A revision of the genus Heliophanus C. L. Koch, 1833 (Aranei: Salticidae)". Annales Zoologici, Warszawa. 40: 1–254.

[wsc-2] 1 2 "Heliophanus africanus Wesołowska, 1986". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2025-10-01.

[dippenaar2025-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Walt, V. van der; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2025). The Salticidae of South Africa. Part 3 (He-Iran). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 35. doi:10.5281/zenodo.17103454. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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