Moggridgea peringueyi

Last updated

Peringuey's 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. peringueyi
Binomial name
Moggridgea peringueyi
Simon, 1903 [1]
Synonyms
  • Moggridgea coegensis Purcell, 1903
  • Moggridgea nigraPurcell, 1904
  • Moggridgea latusTucker, 1917

Moggridgea peringueyi is a species of spider in the family Migidae. [2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as Peringuey's Moggridgea trapdoor spider. [3]

Contents

Etymology

The species is named after Louis Albert Péringuey, a French-born South African entomologist who made significant contributions to the study of southern African insects.

Distribution

Moggridgea peringueyi has a wide distribution across four South African provinces: Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape, and Western Cape. Notable locations include the Cederberg Wilderness Area, De Hoop Nature Reserve, and Karoo National Park. [3]

Habitat

The species inhabits multiple biomes including Grassland, Thicket, and Fynbos biomes at altitudes ranging from 7 to 1,463 m above sea level. [3]

Description

Moggridgea peringueyi is known from both sexes. It is a terrestrial trapdoor species that constructs cylindrical burrows closed with thick, D-shaped lids that overlap the mouth. [3]

Ecology

Burrows are typically found in open veld, but the species has also been collected under bark of Eucalyptus trees. Adult females were collected in February, May, and November, while males were collected in April, July, and October. [3]

Conservation

Moggridgea peringueyi is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide range. The species is protected in eight protected areas including the Cederberg Wilderness Area, De Hoop Nature Reserve, Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, and Karoo National Park. [3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1903 from Matjiesfontein in the Western Cape. Charles E. Griswold's 1987 revision synonymized several species with M. peringueyi, including M. coegensis, M. lata, and M. nigra. [4]

References

  1. ↑ Simon, E. (1903). "Descriptions d'arachnides nouveaux". Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique. 47: 21–39. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.25299.
  2. ↑ "Moggridgea peringueyi Simon, 1903". 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. 17. 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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.