Ulwembua outeniqua

Outeniqua Tree Sheet-Web Spider
Conservation status
Least Concern  (SANBI Red List)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Cyatholipidae
Genus:	Ulwembua
Species:	U. outeniqua
Binomial name
Ulwembua outeniqua Griswold, 1987 [1]

Ulwembua outeniqua is a species of spider in the family Cyatholipidae. It is endemic to South Africa and is found in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces. ^{[2] [3]}

Distribution

Ulwembua outeniqua is recorded from four protected areas across two provinces. In the Western Cape, it occurs at Big Tree and Kranshoek near Knysna, Diepwalle Forest Station, Harkerville State Forest, Nature's Valley, and Grootvadersbosch Nature Reserve. In the Eastern Cape, it is found in Tsitsikamma National Park. The species occurs at elevations between 8 and 503 metres above sea level. ^[3]

Habitat

The species is abundant in wet, closed-canopy forests where it builds sheet webs less than 50 centimetres from the ground on low vegetation and tree buttresses. It is found in the Forest Biome. ^[3]

Etymology

The species is named after the Outeniqua Mountains, which form part of its range in the southern Cape. ^[1]

Conservation

All known collections are from protected areas and the species shows no signs of decline. It is listed as being of Least Concern. ^[3]

References

1. Griswold, C.E. (1987). "A review of the southern African spiders of the family Cyatholipidae Simon, 1894 (Araneae: Araneomorphae)". Annals of the Natal Museum. 28: 499–542.
2. "Ulwembua outeniqua Griswold, 1987". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
3. Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2022). The Cyatholipidae of South Africa. Version 2. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. Irene. pp. 1–27. doi:10.5281/zenodo.6759933.  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.