Hypsosinga pygmaea

Spotted False Pajama Spider
female from South Africa
male from South Africa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Araneidae
Genus:	Hypsosinga
Species:	H. pygmaea
Binomial name
Hypsosinga pygmaea (Sundevall, 1831) [1]
Synonyms
H. pygmaea synonyms Theridion pygmaeumSundevall, 1831 Micryphantes anthracinusC. L. Koch, 1837 Phrurolithus trifasciatusC. L. Koch, 1839 Singa trifasciataC. L. Koch, 1844 Singa anthracinaC. L. Koch, 1844 Epeira nigrifronsWestring, 1851 Epeira trifasciataWestring, 1851 Singa abbreviataKarsch, 1873 Singa aeneaKroneberg, 1875 Singa maculataThorell, 1875 Singa variabilisEmerton, 1884 Singa grammicaSimon, 1885 Microneta distinctaBanks, 1892 Singa cubanaBanks, 1909 Pronous laevisternisSimon, 1909 Linyphia banksiPetrunkevitch, 1911 Araneus variansPetrunkevitch, 1911 Singa quadripunctataKishida, 1931 Singa melaniaChamberlin & Ivie, 1947 Araneus itemvariansBonnet, 1955 Aranea linyphiformisBösenberg & Strand, 1906 Aranea theridiformisBösenberg & Strand, 1906 Linyphia bicolorBanks, 1906

Hypsosinga pygmaea is a species of orb weaver in the spider family Araneidae, found in North America, Eurasia and southern Africa. ^[2] It is commonly known as the spotted false pajama spider. ^[3]

Distribution

Hypsosinga pygmaea is widespread and known from North America, Europe, Turkey, Israel, Caucasus, Russia to Central Asia, China, Korea, Japan and South Africa. ^[3]

In South Africa, the species is known from four provinces across a moderate range at altitudes from 47 to 1,471 m above sea level. The South African distribution includes Mpumalanga, Gauteng, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. Notable localities include Loskop Dam Nature Reserve, Nelspruit, Irene, Ezemvelo Nature Reserve, Roodeplaatdam Nature Reserve, and Ndumo Game Reserve. ^[3]

Habitat and ecology

Hypsosinga pygmaea constructs a complete orb-web probably sometimes with a retreat. The species is sampled mainly by sweep-netting grasses and herbs from the Grassland and Savanna biomes. ^[3]

Description

See also: Glossary of spider terms

• 
  female from Japan
• 
  female from Japan
• 
  male from Japan

Conservation

Hypsosinga pygmaea is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide global range. ^[3] The species is protected in several reserves including Loskop Dam Nature Reserve, Ezemvelo Nature Reserve, Roodeplaatdam Nature Reserve, Ndumo Game Reserve, and Blouberg Nature Reserve. No conservation actions are recommended. ^[3]

Taxonomy

• 
  female (Becker, 1882)
• 
  male (Becker, 1882)

The species is known from both sexes. ^[3]

Subspecies

These three subspecies belong to the species Hypsosinga pygmaea:

• H. p. pygmaea(Sundevall, 1831)
• H. p. nigra(Simon, 1909)
• H. p. nigriceps(Kulczynski, 1903)

References

1. Sundevall, C.J. (1831). "Svenska Spindlarnes Beskrifning. Fortsättning". Öfversigt af Kongliga Vetenskaps-Akademiens Förhandlingar. 16: 1–41.
2. "Hypsosinga pygmaea (Sundevall, 1831)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
3. Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N.; Webb, P. (2022). The Araneidae of South Africa. Version 2: part 2 (E-Ne). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 21. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6619195.  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.