Moggridgea microps

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Malelane Moggridgea Trapdoor Spider
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
Family: Migidae
Genus: Moggridgea
Species:
M. microps
Binomial name
Moggridgea microps
Hewitt, 1915 [1]

Moggridgea microps is a species of spider in the family Migidae. [2] It occurs in South Africa and Eswatini and is commonly known as the Malelane Moggridgea trapdoor spider. [3]

Contents

Etymology

The specific name is Latin for "small-eyed".

Distribution

Moggridgea microps has a wide distribution across three South African provinces. It occurs in the Eastern Cape (East London, Port St. Johns), KwaZulu-Natal (Durban, Eshowe, Port Shepstone, iSimangaliso Wetland Park), and Mpumalanga (Barberton, Malelane, Mariepskop). The species is also found in Eswatini. [3]

Habitat

The species inhabits multiple biomes including Grassland, Forest, Savanna, and Indian Ocean Coastal Belt biomes at altitudes ranging from 5 to 1,328 m above sea level. [3]

Lifestyle

It is an arboreal trapdoor spider with adult females collected in February, March, May, June, and November. [3]

Description

Moggridgea microps is known only from the female. [3]

Conservation

Moggridgea microps is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. Although presently known only from females, it has a wide geographical range extending into Eswatini. It is protected in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, but additional sampling is needed to collect male specimens. [3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by John Hewitt in 1915 from Malelane in Mpumalanga and later revised by species:Charles E. Griswold in 1987. [4]

References

  1. ↑ Hewitt, J. (1915). "Descriptions of several new or rare species of Araneae from the Transvaal and neighbourhood". Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 5: 89–100.
  2. ↑ "Moggridgea microps Hewitt, 1915". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Migidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 14. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6735880 . Retrieved 21 September 2025. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  4. ↑ Griswold, C.E. (1987). "The African members of the trap-door spider family Migidae (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) 1: the genus Moggridgea O. P.-Cambridge, 1875". Annals of the Natal Museum. 28: 1–118.
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