Monaeses austrinus

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White Band Monaeses Crab Spider
Monaeses austrinus 299840498 540207375.jpg
female
Monaeses austrinus 299839715 540205712.jpg
male
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Thomisidae
Genus: Monaeses
Species:
M. austrinus
Binomial name
Monaeses austrinus
Simon, 1910 [1]
Synonyms
  • Monaeses magnusMillot, 1942
  • Monaeses voltaensisMillot, 1942

Monaeses austrinus is a species of spider in the family Thomisidae. [2] It is endemic to Africa and is commonly known as the white band Monaeses crab spider. [3]

Contents

Distribution

Monaeses austrinus is found in Botswana, Ivory Coast, Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Eswatini. [2]

In South Africa, the species occurs in all nine provinces including more than 20 protected areas. [3] Notable locations include Golden Gate Highlands National Park, Kruger National Park, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, and Pilanesberg National Park. [3]

Habitat and ecology

Monaeses austrinus inhabits grass and low vegetation and is easily collected with a sweepnet. [3] The species is abundant in Forest, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Nama Karoo, Grassland, Thicket and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 1 to 2,253 m. [3]

The species has also been sampled from cotton and pistachio plantations. [3]

Females have been collected in January, February, April and May, while males have been collected from November to April, mainly from grass. [3]

Description

Conservation

Monaeses austrinus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. [3] The species is protected in more than 20 protected areas. [3]

Taxonomy

Monaeses austrinus was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1910 with the type locality given only as South Africa. [1] The species was revised by Dippenaar-Schoeman in 1984, who synonymized Monaeses magnus and M. voltaensis with this species. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 Simon, E. (1910). "Arachnoidea: Araneae (II.)". Denkschriften der Medizinisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft zu Jena. 16: 175–218.
  2. 1 2 "Monaeses austrinus Simon, 1910". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Thomisidae of South Africa. Part 1 A-Mo. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 54. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513274. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  4. ↑ Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S. (1984). "The crab-spiders of southern Africa (Araneae: Thomisidae). 4. The genus Monaeses Thorell, 1869". Phytophylactica. 16: 101–116.
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