| Gunning's Idiops Trapdoor Spider | |
|---|---|
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| Female | |
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| Female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Mygalomorphae |
| Family: | Idiopidae |
| Genus: | Idiops |
| Species: | I. gunningi |
| Binomial name | |
| Idiops gunningi Hewitt, 1913 [1] | |
Idiops gunningi is a species of spider in the family Idiopidae. [2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as Gunning's Idiops trapdoor spider. [3]
Idiops gunningi is recorded from two provinces in South Africa, Gauteng and Limpopo. The species occurs at altitudes ranging from 238 to 1,438 m above sea level. [3]
The species inhabits the Grassland and Savanna biomes. It lives in silk-lined burrows closed with a trapdoor. The burrows are situated amongst grass with lids covered with pieces of dry grass attached to them. The lid is provided on the underside with minute holes, has a broad hinge, and is D-shaped. [3]
Idiops gunningi is known only from females. The carapace and appendages are dark brown, while the abdomen is fuscous. [3]
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Idiops gunningi is listed as Data Deficient for taxonomic reasons. The species is protected in Groenkloof Nature Reserve and Kruger National Park. [3]
The species was described by John Hewitt in 1913 from Zwartspruit. Hewitt described a subspecies Idiops gunningi elongatus in 1915 based on four adult specimens from Moorddrift Waterberg. The species has not been revised and more sampling is needed to collect males. [3]
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.