Themacrys irrorata

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Hluluwe Themacrys Hackled Band Spider
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Phyxelididae
Genus: Themacrys
Species:
T. irrorata
Binomial name
Themacrys irrorata
Simon, 1906 [1]
Synonyms
  • Haemilla australisLawrence, 1937

Themacrys irrorata is a species of spider in the family Phyxelididae. [2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the Hluluwe Themacrys hackled band spider. [3] The species serves as the type species for its genus. [2]

Contents

Distribution

Themacrys irrorata is distributed across three South African provinces, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mpumalanga. [3] The species occurs at altitudes ranging from 17 to 1,795 m above sea level.

Habitat and ecology

This species inhabits the Grassland, Savanna, and Indian Ocean Coastal Belt biomes. [3] Themacrys irrorata is a ground retreat-web cryptic spider that lives in dark places. This is a forest species found in coastal evergreen forest, coastal dune forest, and indigenous forest. [3]

Description

Conservation

Themacrys irrorata is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. [3] The species is recorded from three provinces including four protected areas: Enseleni Nature Reserve, Hluhluwe Nature Reserve, Dlinza Forest, and Ngotsche State Forest. Due to its wide geographical range, there are no significant threats to the species. [3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Eugène Simon in 1906 from Hluhluwe Nature Reserve. [1] It was revised by Griswold in 1990. [3] Themacrys irrorata serves as the type species for the genus Themacrys and is known from both sexes. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 Simon, E. (1906). "Etude sur les araignées de la section des cribellates". Annales de la Société Entomologique de Belgique. 50: 284–308.
  2. 1 2 "Themacrys irrorata Simon, 1906". World Spider Catalog. 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. (2021). The Phyxelididae of South Africa. Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 25. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6813843 . 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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