Ulwembua pulchra

Dlinza 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. pulchra
Binomial name
Ulwembua pulchra Griswold, 1987 [1]

Ulwembua pulchra is a species of spider in the family Cyatholipidae. It is the type species of the genus Ulwembua and is endemic to South Africa, found in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape provinces. ^{[2] [3]}

Distribution

Ulwembua pulchra is known from three locations: Dlinza Forest near Eshowe and Tembe Elephant Park in KwaZulu-Natal, and Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape. The species occurs at elevations between 93 and 587 metres above sea level. ^[3]

Habitat

The species builds small horizontal sheet webs in vegetation and has been sampled from Forest and Savanna biomes. ^[3]

Etymology

The species epithet pulchra is Latin meaning "beautiful".

Conservation

The species is protected in three protected areas and has a relatively wide geographic range. 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 pulchra 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.