Synema imitatrix

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Spotted African mask spider
Synema imitatrix 258200804.jpg
female from South Africa
Synema imitatrix 478360007.jpg
male from South Africa
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Thomisidae
Genus: Synema
Species:
S. imitatrix
Binomial name
Synema imitatrix
(Pavesi, 1883)
Synonyms
  • Diaea imitatrixPavesi, 1883
  • Synaema (Baerella) imitatorDahl, 1907 (lapsus)
  • Synema imitatorLessert, 1919 (lapsus)

Synema imitatrix is a species of crab spider in the family Thomisidae. It is endemic to eastern and southern Africa. [1]

Contents

Etymology

The specific epithet imitatrix is Latin for "imitator", likely referring to the species' ability to camouflage among flowers.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Italian arachnologist Pietro Pavesi in 1883 as Diaea imitatrix from specimens collected in Ethiopia. [2] It was later transferred to the genus Synema by Pavesi himself in 1897. [3]

The species has been subject to several nomenclatural errors, including the misspelling imitator used by some authors, which was corrected by Nentwig et al. in 2019. [4]

Distribution

Synema imitatrix has been recorded from Ethiopia, Mozambique, South Africa, and Eswatini. [1] In South Africa, it has been found in all provinces and occurs in more than 15 protected areas. [5]

Notable locations include Kruger National Park, Mountain Zebra National Park, Giant's Castle Nature Reserve, Karoo National Park, and Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. [5]

Habitat

Synema imitatrix is a free-living spider found on vegetation and occasionally inside flower corollas. It has been recorded from all biomes of South Africa except the Desert and Succulent Karoo biomes. The species has also been found in agricultural areas, including avocado, citrus and macadamia orchards, as well as tomato fields. [5]

The altitudinal range extends from 1 to 1,902 metres above sea level. [5]

Conservation status

Synema imitatrix is classified as Least Concern due to its wide geographical range across multiple African countries and its presence in numerous protected areas. No known threats have been identified, and no specific conservation actions are recommended. [5]

References

  1. 1 2 "Synema imitatrix (Pavesi, 1883)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  2. ↑ Pavesi, P. (1883). "Spedizione italiana nell'Africa equatoriale. Risultati zoologici. Aracnidi del regno di Scioa". Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova. 20: 5–105.
  3. ↑ Pavesi, P. (1897). "Studi sugli aracnidi africani IX. Aracnidi Somali e Galla raccolti da Don Eugenio dei Principi Rispoli". Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova. 38: 151–188.
  4. ↑ Nentwig, W.; Blick, T.; Gloor, D.; Jäger, P.; Kropf, C. (2019). "Tackling taxonomic redundancy in spiders: the infraspecific spider taxa described by Embrik Strand (Arachnida: Araneae)". Arachnologische Mitteilungen. 58: 29–51. doi:10.30963/aramit5809.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2020). The Thomisidae of South Africa. Part 3 Sm-T. Irene: South African National Survey of Arachnida. p. 79. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513278. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
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