Ilisoa knysna

Knysna Tree Sheet-Web Spider
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (SANBI Red List)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Cyatholipidae
Genus:	Ilisoa
Species:	I. knysna
Binomial name
Ilisoa knysna Griswold, 1987 [1]

Ilisoa knysna is a species of spider in the family Cyatholipidae. It is the type species of the genus Ilisoa and is endemic to the Western Cape province of South Africa. ^{[2] [3]}

Distribution

Ilisoa knysna is known from three locations in the Western Cape: Brenton-on-Sea, Diepwalle Forest Station, and George. The species occurs at elevations between 99 and 466 metres above sea level. ^[3]

Habitat

The species builds small horizontal sheet webs in vegetation and was collected in wet forest from the Forest Biome. ^[3]

Etymology

The species is named after the Knysna district, where it was first discovered. ^[1]

Conservation

The species is threatened by ongoing habitat loss due to infrastructure development around Brenton-on-Sea and Knysna. It is partly protected in Diepwalle Forest Station and is listed as Vulnerable. ^[3]

References

1. Griswold, C.E. (1987). "A review of the southern African spiders of the family Cyatholipidae Simon, 1894 (Araneae: Araneomorphae)". Annals of the Natal Museum. 28: 499–542.
2. "Ilisoa knysna Griswold, 1987". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
3. Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2022). The Cyatholipidae of South Africa. Version 2. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. Irene. pp. 1–27. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6759933.  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.