Parapalystes lycosinus

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East Cape parapalystes huntsman spider
Parapalystes lycosinus 306178327 552126492.jpg
Juvenile female
Parapalystes lycosinus 306178327 552126780.jpg
Juvenile female
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Sparassidae
Genus: Parapalystes
Species:
P. lycosinus
Binomial name
Parapalystes lycosinus
(Pocock, 1900) [1]
Synonyms [2]
  • Palystes lycosinusPocock, 1900
  • Parapalystes megalocephalusJäger & Kunz, 2005

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

Contents

Distribution

Parapalystes lycosinus is found in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape provinces. The species has been sampled from Port Elizabeth, Addo Elephant National Park, Fort Fordyce Forest Reserve, Commando Drift Nature Reserve, Karoo National Park, Aardvark Nature Reserve, and Montagu. It occurs at altitudes ranging from 7 to 1,212 m. [3]

Habitat and ecology

Parapalystes lycosinus is a free-living plant dweller sampled from the Thicket, Fynbos, and Nama Karoo biomes. [3]

Description

Conservation

Parapalystes lycosinus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographic range. The species is protected in Karoo National Park, Aardvark Nature Reserve, and Addo Elephant National Park. [3]

Taxonomy

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

References

  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.
  2. 1 2 "Parapalystes lycosinus (Pocock, 1900)". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  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. 61. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6614498. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
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