Parapalystes cultrifer

Grahamstown parapalystes huntsman spider
	female
	female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Sparassidae
Genus:	Parapalystes
Species:	P. cultrifer
Binomial name
	Parapalystes cultrifer; (Pocock, 1900)
Synonyms
	Palystes cultriferPocock, 1900 ;

Last updated October 17, 2025

Parapalystes cultrifer is a spider species in the family Sparassidae.^[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the Grahamstown Parapalystes huntsman spider.^[3]

Distribution

Parapalystes cultrifer is found in the Eastern Cape and Northern Cape provinces. The species is protected in two national parks: Mountain Zebra National Park and Namaqua National Park. Notable locations include Grahamstown and Springbok. It occurs at altitudes ranging from 565 to 1,358 m.^[3]

Habitat and ecology

Parapalystes cultrifer is a plant dweller sampled from Thicket and Succulent Karoo biomes.^[3]

Description

Conservation

Parapalystes cultrifer is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographic range.^[3]

Taxonomy

Parapalystes cultrifer was originally described by Pocock in 1900 as Palystes cultrifer from Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape. The genus has not been revised.^[3]

References

↑ Pocock, R.I. (1900). "Some new Arachnida from Cape Colony". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 7. 6 (33): 316–333. doi:10.1080/00222930008678382.
1 2 "Parapalystes cultrifer (Pocock, 1900)". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2025-10-01.
1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2022). The Sparassidae of South Africa. Version 2. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 59. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6614498. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

External links

Citizen science observations for Parapalystes cultrifer at iNaturalist

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[pocock1900-1] Pocock, R.I. (1900). "Some new Arachnida from Cape Colony". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 7. 6 (33): 316–333. doi:10.1080/00222930008678382.

[wsc-2] 1 2 "Parapalystes cultrifer (Pocock, 1900)". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2025-10-01.

[dippenaar2022-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2022). The Sparassidae of South Africa. Version 2. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 59. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6614498. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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