Poecilomigas abrahami

Last updated

Abraham's Banded-Legged Trapdoor Spider
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Mygalomorphae
Family: Migidae
Genus: Poecilomigas
Species:
P. abrahami
Binomial name
Poecilomigas abrahami
(O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889) [1]
Synonyms
  • Moggridgea tidmarshiLenz, 1889
  • Moggridgea stauntoniPocock, 1902
  • Poecilomigas pulchripesSimon, 1903

Poecilomigas abrahami is a species of spider in the family Migidae. [2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as Abraham's banded-legged trapdoor spider. It is the type species of the genus Poecilomigas . [3]

Contents

Distribution

Poecilomigas abrahami has a wide distribution across three South African provinces. It occurs in the Eastern Cape (Alexandria Coastal Forest, East London, Grahamstown, King William's Town, Port St. Johns, Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve), KwaZulu-Natal (Durban, Eshowe, Hluhluwe Nature Reserve, Kloof, Pietermaritzburg, Port Edward, Sodwana Bay, Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve), and Northern Cape (Fraserburg, Koingnaas). [3]

Habitat

The species inhabits multiple biomes including Forest, Grassland, Nama Karoo, Savanna, Succulent Karoo, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, and Thicket biomes at altitudes ranging from 10 to 1,679 m above sea level. [3]

Description

Poecilomigas abrahami is known from both sexes. [3]

Ecology

Poecilomigas abrahami are exclusively arboreal trapdoor spiders that live in sac-like nests made in large shady trees. The retreat is constructed in a depression or crevice on the trunk of various indigenous trees with soft, irregular bark. The nests are usually open at each end and furnished with oval wafer-type lids, with the bottom opening used for escape. [3]

Conservation

Poecilomigas abrahami is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. The species is protected in several forest reserves as well as the Baviaanskloof Nature Reserve, Hluhluwe Nature Reserve, and Umgeni Valley Nature Reserve. [3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by O. Pickard-Cambridge in 1889 as Moggridgea abrahami from Grahamstown. Charles E. Griswold's 1987 revision synonymized several species including Poecilomigas pulchripes and P. stauntoni with this species. It serves as the type species for the genus Poecilomigas. [4]

References

  1. ↑ Pickard-Cambridge, O. (1889). "On some new species and a new genus of Araneida". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 57 (1): 34–46. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1889.tb06745.x.
  2. ↑ "Poecilomigas abrahami (O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1889)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Migidae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 27. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6735880 . Retrieved 21 September 2025. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  4. ↑ Griswold, C.E. (1987). "The African members of the trap-door spider family Migidae (Araneae: Mygalomorphae) 2: the genus Poecilomigas Simon, 1903". Annals of the Natal Museum. 28: 475–497.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.