| Phrynarachne melloleitaoi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| female | |
 | |
| male | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Araneae |
| Infraorder: | Araneomorphae |
| Family: | Thomisidae |
| Genus: | Phrynarachne |
| Species: | P. melloleitaoi |
| Binomial name | |
| Phrynarachne melloleitaoi | |
Phrynarachne melloleitaoi is a southern African species of spider in the family Thomisidae. [2]
Phrynarachne melloleitaoi is found in Angola, Lesotho, and South Africa. [2]
In South Africa, the species is recorded from the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, and Western Cape. [3] Notable locations include Coffee Bay, Cwebe Nature Reserve, Hogsback, Addo Elephant National Park, Loteni Nature Reserve, Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve, De Hoop Nature Reserve, Cape Town, and Robben Island. [3]
Phrynarachne melloleitaoi inhabits the Fynbos, Forest, Grassland, Savanna, and Thicket biomes at altitudes ranging from 6 to 2066 m. [3]
These spiders are free-living on plants, and have been sampled from citrus orchards. [3]
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Phrynarachne melloleitaoi is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. [3] It is protected in reserves including Addo Elephant National Park, Cwebe Nature Reserve, Loteni Nature Reserve, Vernon Crookes Nature Reserve, and De Hoop Nature Reserve. [3]
Phrynarachne melloleitaoi is named after Brazilian zoologist Cândido Firmino de Mello-Leitão (1886-1948), who is considered the founder of arachnology in South America.
The species was originally described by Lessert in 1933 from Angola. [1] Both sexes are known. [3]
This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.