Moggridgea terricola

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Stellenbosch Ground Migid 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. terricola
Binomial name
Moggridgea terricola
Simon, 1903 [1]
Synonyms
  • Caedmon affinisO. Pickard-Cambridge, 1904

Moggridgea terricola 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 Stellenbosch ground Migid trapdoor spider. [3]

Contents

Distribution

Moggridgea terricola has been recorded from several localities in the Western Cape, including George, Stellenbosch, Swellendam, Table Mountain National Park (Cape Point and Signal Hill), Wellington, and Cape Town Oranjesicht. [3]

Habitat

The species inhabits the Fynbos biome at altitudes ranging from 7 to 243 m above sea level. [3]

Description

Moggridgea terricola is known from both sexes. [3]

Ecology

Moggridgea terricola is a terrestrial burrowing trapdoor species. Burrows were found singly on bare flats under the shade of trees and bushes. They also construct burrows in mossy banks. [3]

Conservation

Moggridgea terricola is listed as Vulnerable under criterion B by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. The species is currently known from fewer than 10 locations and is experiencing ongoing habitat loss due to crop cultivation and urban development. Most localities were sampled between 1903 and 1986, and a number may have been lost. The species is protected in Table Mountain National Park. [3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1903 from Stellenbosch. Charles E. Griswold's 1987 revision synonymized Poecilomigas (= Caedmon) affinis with this species. [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 terricola 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. 25. 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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