Lipocrea longissima

Last updated

Lipocrea Grass Orb-Web Spider
Lipocrea longissima 299433652 539450575.jpg
Female
Lipocrea longissima 299433652 539451327.jpg
Female
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Lipocrea
Species:
L. longissima
Binomial name
Lipocrea longissima
(Simon, 1881) [1]
Synonyms
  • Larinia fasciataThorell, 1899
  • Larinia quinquepunctataTullgren, 1910
  • Larinia tibelloidesLessert, 1930
  • Larinia quinquepunctata concolorCaporiacco, 1947

Lipocrea longissima is a species of spider in the family Araneidae. [2] It is found across Central, East, and Southern Africa and is commonly known as the Lipocrea grass orb-web spider. [3]

Contents

Distribution

Lipocrea longissima has a wide distribution throughout Central, East, and Southern Africa. The species is known from Lesotho, Botswana, and South Africa. [3]

In South Africa, the species is widely distributed across seven provinces: Free State, Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Western Cape. Notable locations include Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Ndumo Game Reserve, Tembe Elephant Park, and Bontebok National Park. [3]

Habitat and ecology

The species inhabits Fynbos, Forest, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Grassland, and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 3 to 1,706 m above sea level. Lipocrea longissima makes orb-webs in grass and removes them early in the morning. The species has been sampled from avocado and pecan orchards, as well as tomato fields. [3]

Description

Conservation

Lipocrea longissima is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. There are no significant threats to the species. The species is sampled from more than 10 protected areas including Mkambathi Nature Reserve, Erfenis Dam Nature Reserve, and Ndumo Game Reserve. [3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1881 as Larinia longissima. Manfred Grasshoff revised the species in 1970 and transferred it to the genus Larinopa, synonymizing several species. [2] Known from both sexes. [3]

References

  1. ↑ Simon, E. (1881). "Descriptions d'arachnides nouveaux d'Afrique". Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France. 6 (1–2): 1–15.
  2. 1 2 "Lipocrea longissima (Simon, 1881)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 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. 44. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6619195. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
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