Phoroncidia truncatula

Mushroom Cob-Web Spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Theridiidae
Genus:	Phoroncidia
Species:	P. truncatula
Binomial name
	Phoroncidia truncatula; (Strand, 1909)
Synonyms
	Ulesanis truncatulaStrand, 1909 ;

Last updated October 13, 2025

Phoroncidia truncatula is a species of spider in the family Theridiidae.^[2] It is endemic to the Western Cape of South Africa and is commonly known as the mushroom cob-web spider.^[3]

Distribution

Phoroncidia truncatula is endemic to South Africa,^[2] known only from Fish Hoek in the Western Cape province.^[3]

Habitat and ecology

Phoroncidia truncatula inhabits areas at approximately 60 m above sea level.^[3] These rare spiders are sampled from vegetation. Nothing is known about their behaviour. The type locality is from the Fynbos biome.^[3]

Description

Conservation

Phoroncidia truncatula is listed as Data Deficient by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. The species is known only from the male at the type locality. The status of the species remains obscure and additional sampling is needed to collect females and to determine the species' range.^[3]

References

↑ Strand, E. (1909). "Spinnentiere von Südafrika und einigen Inseln gesammelt bei der deutschen Südpolar-Expedition". Deutsche Südpolar-Expedition 1901-1905. Vol. 10. pp. 541–596.
1 2 3 "Phoroncidia truncatula (Strand, 1909)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Theridiidae of South Africa. Part 1 A-P. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 57. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7515890. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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[strand1909-1] Strand, E. (1909). "Spinnentiere von Südafrika und einigen Inseln gesammelt bei der deutschen Südpolar-Expedition". Deutsche Südpolar-Expedition 1901-1905. Vol. 10. pp. 541–596.

[wsc-2] 1 2 3 "Phoroncidia truncatula (Strand, 1909)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 2025-10-01.

[dippenaar2021-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Theridiidae of South Africa. Part 1 A-P. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 57. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7515890. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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