Pterartoria arbuscula

Hanover's Pterartoria wolf spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Lycosidae
Genus:	Pterartoria
Species:	P. arbuscula
Binomial name
	Pterartoria arbuscula; (Purcell, 1903)
Synonyms
	Lycosa arbusculaPurcell, 1903 ;

Last updated November 05, 2025

Pterartoria arbuscula is a species of spider in the family Lycosidae.^[2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as Hanover's Pterartoria wolf spider.^[3]

Distribution

Pterartoria arbuscula is found in South Africa.^[2] It is known from the provinces Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, and Northern Cape. The species occurs at altitudes ranging from 565 to 1,415 m. Localities include Grahamstown, Lydenburg, and Hanover.^[3]

Habitat and ecology

Pterartoria arbuscula is a free-running ground dwelling spider sampled from the Grassland biome.^[3]

Description

Conservation

Pterartoria arbuscula is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide range. There are no known threats to the species, though additional sampling is needed to determine its full range.^[3]

Taxonomy

Pterartoria arbuscula was originally described by Purcell in 1903 as Lycosa arbuscula from Hanover in the Northern Cape. The species was reviewed by Roewer in 1959 and revised by Russell-Smith and Roberts in 2017. It is known from both sexes.^[3]

References

↑ Purcell, W.F. (1903). "New Arachnida collected by Mr. S. C. Cronwright Schreiner at Hanover, Cape Colony". Annals of the South African Museum. 3: 13–42.
1 2 "Pterartoria arbuscula (Purcell, 1903)". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2025-10-01.
1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Lycosidae of South Africa. Version 1: part 2 (L-Z). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 47. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6324723. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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[purcell1903a-1] Purcell, W.F. (1903). "New Arachnida collected by Mr. S. C. Cronwright Schreiner at Hanover, Cape Colony". Annals of the South African Museum. 3: 13–42.

[wsc-2] 1 2 "Pterartoria arbuscula (Purcell, 1903)". World Spider Catalog. Natural History Museum Bern. doi:10.24436/2 . 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 Lycosidae of South Africa. Version 1: part 2 (L-Z). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 47. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6324723. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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