Moggridgea quercina

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Cape Town 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. quercina
Binomial name
Moggridgea quercina
Simon, 1903 [1]
Synonyms
  • Caedmon thoracicaO. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904
  • Caedmon congenerO. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904
  • Caedmon dubiaO. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904

Moggridgea quercina is a species of spider in the family Migidae. [2] It is endemic to the Western Cape province of South Africa and is commonly known as the Cape Town Moggridgea trapdoor spider. [3]

Contents

Etymology

The specific name derives from Latin quercus "oak", due to the species' association with oak trees.

Distribution

Moggridgea quercina occurs in seven historic locations between the Cape Peninsula and Franschhoek, including Cape Town, Muizenberg, Simonstown, Table Mountain National Park, and Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. [3]

Habitat

The species inhabits the Fynbos biome at altitudes ranging from 6 to 300 m above sea level. [3]

Description

Moggridgea quercina is known from both sexes. [3]

Ecology

Moggridgea quercina constructs both arboreal and rupicolous nests. The species is commonly found on the bark of oak trees ( Quercus pedunculata ), where the nests have a thin but rigid lid. Other specimens were found in oval nests beneath stones with a thin lid, camouflaged with grains of earth and sand. Females were collected in March and June. [3]

Conservation

Moggridgea quercina is listed as Endangered under criterion B by SANBI. Most records are historic and much of the species' habitat has been lost to urban and agricultural development. The species is currently extant at fewer than five locations and receives some protection from Table Mountain National Park. Ongoing habitat loss due to urban development and agriculture continues to threaten the species. [3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1903 from Cape Town. Charles E. Griswold's 1987 revision transferred the species from Caedmon (= Poecilomigas) and synonymized several species including Poecilomigas congener, P. dubius, and P. thoracicus. [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 quercina 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. 20. 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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