Monaeses paradoxus

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Spotted Monaeses Crab Spider
Monaeses paradoxus 308125819 555869532.jpg
female
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. paradoxus
Binomial name
Monaeses paradoxus
(Lucas, 1846) [1]
Synonyms
  • Monastes paradoxusLucas, 1846
  • Monaeses caudiculaSimon, 1885
  • Monaeses paradoxus albidusSimon, 1906
  • Monaeses nigeriensisMillot, 1942

Monaeses paradoxus is a species of spider in the family Thomisidae. [2] It has a very wide distribution and is commonly known as the spotted Monaeses crab spider. [3]

Contents

Distribution

Monaeses paradoxus is found from Southern Europe to Iran, and throughout Africa. [2]

In South Africa, the species occurs in all nine provinces. [3] Notable locations include Kruger National Park, Tsitsikamma National Park, Pilanesberg National Park, and Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve. [3]

Habitat and ecology

Monaeses paradoxus inhabits grass and low vegetation and is easily collected with a sweepnet. [3]

The species is abundant in Fynbos, Forest, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Nama Karoo, Succulent Karoo, Grassland and Savanna biomes at altitudes ranging from 1 to 1,871 m. [3]

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

Adults have been collected throughout the year, except during winter months. [3]

Description

female Monaeses paradoxus 308125819 555869166.jpg
female

Conservation

Monaeses paradoxus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide global range. [3] The species is protected in more than 19 reserves. [3]

Taxonomy

Monaeses paradoxus was originally described as Monastes paradoxus by Hippolyte Lucas in 1846 from Algeria. [1] The species was revised by Dippenaar-Schoeman in 1984, who synonymized Monaeses nigeriensis and M. paradoxus albidus with this species. [4]

References

  1. 1 2 Lucas, H. (1846). Histoire naturelle des animaux articulés. In: Exploration scientifique de l'Algérie pendant les années 1840, 1841, 1842. Vol. 1. Paris, Sciences physiques, Zoologie. pp. 89–271. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.112444.
  2. 1 2 "Monaeses paradoxus (Lucas, 1846)". 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. 59. 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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