Synema riflense

Last updated

Simonstown Synema crab spider
Synema riflense 15163196.jpg
S. riflense 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. riflense
Binomial name
Synema riflense
Strand, 1909

Synema riflense is a species of crab spider in the family Thomisidae. It is endemic to South Africa [1] and is commonly known as the Simonstown Synema crab spider. [2]

Contents

Taxonomy

The species was first described by Embrik Strand in 1909 based on a male specimen collected during the German Antarctic Expedition of 1901-1905. [3] The holotype is deposited in the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin. [1]

Distribution

Synema riflense is endemic to South Africa and has been recorded from three provinces. [2] The species is found at elevations ranging from 15 to 1,328 meters above sea level. [2]

Habitat

Synema riflense is a free-living species found on vegetation. The spiders live on plants and are occasionally found inside flower corollas, which is typical behavior for crab spiders that ambush prey on flowers. [2] The species has been sampled from both Fynbos and Grassland biomes. [2]

Description

Currently, only the male of Synema riflense has been described in detail.

The male has a total length of 2.8 mm. [3]

The cephalothorax is brownish-yellow, noticeably darker than the extremities, with black eyes. The eye region is whitish, while the rest of the cephalothorax is uniform in color. The chelicerae and labium are similar to the latter, and the sternum and maxillae are lighter.The opisthosoma is brownish-yellow above, lightly reddish, with fine whitish tubercles that form a specific pattern when viewed from above. The dorsal surface shows two rounded dark spots in the middle, with additional markings including a cross-shaped pattern of four spots in the center and two curved rows of spots forming connected patches. [3]

The female remains undescribed. [2]

Conservation status

Synema riflense is classified as Least Concern according to South African national assessments. [2] Despite being known from only one sex and having a relatively small area of occupancy, the species has a wide geographical range across three provinces. [2]

The species faces no known threats and is protected within the Kogelberg Nature Reserve. [2] However, additional sampling is needed to collect and describe the female, and the overall status of the species remains somewhat obscure due to limited specimens. [2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Synema riflense Strand, 1909". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 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 Photo Identification Guide. p. 79. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7513278. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  3. 1 2 3 Strand, E. (1909). "Spinnentiere von Südafrika und einigen Inseln gesammelt bei der deutschen Südpolar-Expedition". Deutsche Südpolar-Expedition 1901-1905. 10 (5). Berlin: 541–596.