Mahembea

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Hewitt's Grass Orb-Web Spider
Mahembea hewitti 304676037 549277748.jpg
female from South Africa
Mahembea hewitti - Suncana Bradley - 176809419.jpeg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Araneidae
Genus: Mahembea
Grasshoff, 1970 [1]
Species:
M. hewitti
Binomial name
Mahembea hewitti
(Lessert, 1930) [2]

Mahembea is a genus of African orb-weaver spiders containing the single species, Mahembea hewitti. The species is found in Central and East Africa. [1] It is commonly known as Hewitt's grass orb-web spider. [3]

Contents

Distribution

Mahembea hewitti has a distribution from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to South Africa. The species is under-collected and is suspected to occur in more countries. [3]

In South Africa, the species is known from five provinces, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and North West. Notable locations include Polokwane Nature Reserve, Legalameetse Nature Reserve, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, and Kgaswane Mountain Reserve. [3]

Habitat and ecology

Mahembea hewitti inhabits Forest, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 29 to 1,556 m above sea level. The spider makes orb-webs in grass and has been sampled from sugar cane fields. [3]

Description

Female and male spiders measure 7-8 mm in total length. The carapace is elongate, straw coloured to yellow orange, with a median longitudinal band. The abdomen is elongate extending past spinnerets with thin paired longitudinal bands. Legs are the same colour as body and bear setae with dark spots at their bases. [3]

Conservation

Mahembea hewitti is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. There are no known threats to the species. The species is protected in more than six protected areas including Polokwane Nature Reserve, Legalameetse Nature Reserve, and Roodeplaat Dam Nature Reserve. [3]

Etymology

The species is named after John Hewitt, a South African herpetologist and arachnologist who made significant contributions to the study of southern African fauna.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Roger de Lessert in 1930 from the Democratic Republic of the Congo as Larinia hewittii. [1]

The genus was first created by Manfred Grasshoff in 1970 to separate this species from its original genus, Larinia . [4] Known from both sexes. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Mahembea hewitti (Lessert, 1930)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  2. ↑ Lessert, R. de (1930). "Araignées du Congo recueillies au cours de l'expédition organisée par l'American Museum (1909-1915). Quatrième et dernière partie". Revue Suisse de Zoologie. 37: 613–672.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 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. 46. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6619195. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  4. ↑ Grasshoff, M. (1970). "Die Tribus Mangorini. II. Die neuen Gattungen Siwa, Paralarinia, Faradja, Mahembea und Lariniaria (Arachnida: Araneae: Araneidae-Araneinae)". Senckenbergiana Biologica. 51: 409–423.
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