Prodidomus purpurascens

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Table Mountain Prodidomus Pale Ground Spider
Prodidomus purpurascens 530307626.jpg
female
Prodidomus purpurascens 530307662.jpg
male
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Prodidomidae
Genus: Prodidomus
Species:
P. purpurascens
Binomial name
Prodidomus purpurascens
Purcell, 1904 [1]

Prodidomus purpurascens is a species of spider in the family Prodidomidae. [2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the Table Mountain Prodidomus pale ground spider. [3]

Contents

Distribution

Prodidomus purpurascens is found in the South African provinces Northern Cape and Western Cape. [3] The species ranges in altitude from 5 to 1,212 m above sea level. [3] Locations in the Northern Cape include Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, Steinkopf, and Augrabies National Park. Western Cape localities include Black Pearls Core in the Swartland, Beaufort West, Malmesbury, Anysberg Nature Reserve, Stompneus, Table Mountain National Park at Devils Peak, Matjiesfontein, and Karoo National Park. [3]

Habitat and ecology

The species is a free-running ground dweller sampled from the Fynbos, Nama Karoo, and Succulent Karoo biomes. [3]

Description

Conservation

Prodidomus purpurascens is listed as Least Concern due to its wide geographical range. [3] Threats to the species are unknown, but it is protected in several areas including Tswalu Kalahari Reserve, Augrabies National Park, Anysberg Nature Reserve, Table Mountain National Park, and Karoo National Park. [3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by W.F. Purcell in 1904 from Devils Peak in Table Mountain National Park. [1] The male was first described by Cooke in 1964. [2] The species has not been revised since Cooke's work and is known from both sexes. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 Purcell, W.F. (1904). "Descriptions of new genera and species of South African spiders". Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society. 15: 115–173. doi:10.1080/21560382.1904.9626437.
  2. 1 2 "Prodidomus purpurascens Purcell, 1904". 26. World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2023). The Prodidomidae of South Africa. 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. pp. 1–42. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7515818 . Retrieved 24 September 2025. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
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