Systenoplacis vandami

Last updated

Roodeplaat Systenoplacis zodariid spider
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Zodariidae
Genus: Systenoplacis
Species:
S. vandami
Binomial name
Systenoplacis vandami
(Hewitt, 1916) [1]
Synonyms
  • Cydrela vandamiHewitt, 1916

Systenoplacis vandami is a species of spider in the family Zodariidae. [2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the Roodeplaat Systenoplacis zodariid spider. [3]

Contents

Distribution

Systenoplacis vandami has a wide distribution across six provinces of South Africa: Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, North West, and Northern Cape. [3]

Habitat

The species inhabits multiple biomes including Fynbos, Forest, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, and Savanna at altitudes ranging from 54 to 1,758 m above sea level. [3]

Description

Systenoplacis vandami shows sexual dimorphism in size. Females reach 9.32 mm in total length with a uniform dark brown carapace and reddish brown chelicerae. The abdomen is dark grey with a white spot in front. Males are considerably smaller at 5.9 mm total length with a medium reddish brown carapace and a clear, well-defined white spot on the abdomen along with three spots in a longitudinal row. [4]

Ecology

Systenoplacis vandami are free-running ground spiders. It is presumed that their large pedipalps are used for digging, which has been observed in grassland habitats. [3]

Conservation

The species is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. It is protected in six protected areas. [3]

References

  1. ↑ Hewitt, J. (1916). "Descriptions of new South African spiders". Annals of the Transvaal Museum. 5: 212.
  2. ↑ "Systenoplacis vandami (Hewitt, 1916)". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Jocqué, R.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2024). The Zodariidae of South Africa. Part 2 (H-T) version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 40. doi:10.5281/zenodo.14568995 . Retrieved 20 September 2025. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  4. ↑ Jocqué, R. (2009). "Some keep it short: on the radiation in the Afrotropical spider genera Capheris and Systenoplacis (Araneae, Zodariidae) without male pedipalp complexity increase". Journal of Afrotropical Zoology. 5: 110.
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.