Moggridgea terrestris

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Moggridgea terrestris
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. terrestris
Binomial name
Moggridgea terrestris
Hewitt, 1914 [1]

Moggridgea terrestris [2] is a species of trapdoor spider in the family Migidae, and is endemic to South Africa. The species is known only from its type locality at Alicedale in the Eastern Cape province. [3]

Contents

Like other members of Migidae, M. terrestris is a burrowing, [4] [5] terrestrial trapdoor spider. Its natural habitat is within the Fynbos biome, at around 283 metres above sea level.

Due to the paucity of records, only a single female specimen is known the species is classified as Data Deficient under conservation assessments [6] . More field sampling is required to determine its range, population status, and discover the male.

Distribution

Moggridgea terrestris is known only from its type locality at Alicedale in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa. [7]

Taxonomy and Family Context

Family: Migidae

The family Migidae, also known as “tree trapdoor spiders” or “bag-nest migids,” comprises around 100 species across eleven genera. Members of this family are distributed largely throughout the Southern Hemisphere (Africa, Madagascar, Australia, South America, New Zealand, New Caledonia), reflecting a classical Gondwanan biogeographic pattern.

Migids characteristically build silk-lined burrows or sac-like retreats, which they close with a hinged “trapdoor.” Some species live underground, while others make retreats on trees or in rock crevices.

Genus: Moggridgea

The genus Moggridgea described in 1875 [8] is the largest genus in Migidae. Most of its ~ 30–33 species occur in southern and central Africa (including Socotra), with a few like the well-studied island species in Australia. [9]

Of all Moggridgea species, M. terrestris is among those known only from limited female material, a situation shared by many other species in South Africa, where only 8 of the 22 or so endemic species are known from both sexes. [10]

Habitat

The species inhabits the Fynbos biome at an altitude of 283 m above sea level. [7]

Description

Moggridgea terrestris is known only from the female. [7]

Ecology

Moggridgea terrestris is a terrestrial, burrowing trapdoor species. [7]

Conservation

Moggridgea terrestris is listed as Data Deficient due to taxonomic reasons. The species is known only from the type locality, and the male remains unknown. Additional sampling is needed to determine the species' range and collect male specimens. [7]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by John Hewitt in 1914 and later revised by Charles E. Griswold in 1987. [11]

References

  1. ↑ Hewitt, J. (1914). "Descriptions of new Arachnida from South Africa". Records of the Albany Museum Grahamstown. 3: 1–37.
  2. ↑ "Moggridgea terrestris". iNaturalist Luxembourg. Retrieved 2025-11-26.
  3. ↑ "moggridgea terrestris". biodiversityadvisor.sanbi.org. Retrieved 2025-11-26.
  4. ↑ Gupta, Neha; Das, Sanjay Keshari; Siliwal, Manju (2015-03-30). "Natural history of the trapdoor spider Idiops joida Gupta et al 2013 (Araneae: Idiopidae) from the Western Ghats in India". Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity. 8 (1): 38–42. doi:10.1016/j.japb.2015.01.004. ISSN   2287-884X.
  5. ↑ Uchman, Alfred; Vrenozi, Blerina; Muceku, Bardhyl (2018-03-01). "Spider burrows in ichnological context: a review of literature data and burrows of the wolf spider Trochosa hispanica Simon, 1870 from Albania". Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali. 29 (1): 67–79. doi:10.1007/s12210-017-0662-7. ISSN   1720-0776.
  6. ↑ Uchman, Alfred; Vrenozi, Blerina; Muceku, Bardhyl (2018-03-01). "Spider burrows in ichnological context: a review of literature data and burrows of the wolf spider Trochosa hispanica Simon, 1870 from Albania". Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali. 29 (1): 67–79. doi:10.1007/s12210-017-0662-7. ISSN   1720-0776.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 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. 24. 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.
  8. ↑ Natural History Museum Bern. "NMBE - World Spider Catalog". wsc.nmbe.ch. Retrieved 2025-11-26.
  9. ↑ "NMBE - World Spider Catalog". wsc.nmbe.ch. Retrieved 2025-11-26.
  10. ↑ Griswold, Charles (2001-01-01). "Madagascar. Contributions to the study of the biodiversity of Madagascar. Number 1. A monograph of the migid trap door spiders of Madagascar and review of the world genera (Araneae, Mygalomorphae, Migidae)".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  11. ↑ 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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