Malaika delicatula

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Malaika delicatula
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Phyxelididae
Genus: Malaika
Species:
M. delicatula
Binomial name
Malaika delicatula
Griswold, 1990 [1]

Malaika delicatula is a species of spider in the family Phyxelididae. [2] It is endemic to South Africa. [3]

Contents

Distribution

Malaika delicatula is endemic to the Western Cape province of South Africa. It is known from several localities in the Hottentots Holland Mountains including Sir Lowry's Pass, Stellenbosch (Lourensford), Kogelberg Nature Reserve, and Hermanus. [3]

Habitat and ecology

The species is a ground retreat-web cryptic spider that lives in damp and dark places. It has been recorded from the Fynbos biome at elevations ranging from 15 to 347 m above sea level. [3]

Description

Conservation

Malaika delicatula is listed as Data Deficient by SANBI. The species is known only from the type series collected prior to 1901, and its current status remains unclear. More sampling is needed to determine the present species range. The species is protected in the Kogelberg Nature Reserve. [3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Griswold in 1990 from Lourensford in the Western Cape. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 Griswold, C.E. (1990). "A revision and phylogenetic analysis of the spider subfamily Phyxelidinae (Araneae, Amaurobiidae)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 196: 122. hdl:2246/5020.
  2. "Malaika delicatula Griswold, 1990". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Phyxelididae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 8. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6813843 . Retrieved 24 September 2025. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.