Vidole capensis

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Cape Vidole 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: Vidole
Species:
V. capensis
Binomial name
Vidole capensis
(Pocock, 1900) [1]
Synonyms
  • Auximus capensisPocock, 1900
  • Amaurobius promontoriiSimon, 1906
  • Haemilla profundissimaLawrence, 1964
  • Phyxelida profundissimaBrignoli, 1983

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

Contents

Distribution

Vidole capensis is distributed across three South African provinces, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and Western Cape. [3] The species occurs at altitudes ranging from 1 to 4,713 m above sea level.

Habitat and ecology

This species inhabits Fynbos, Grassland, Indian Ocean Coastal Belt, Nama Karoo, Savanna, and Thicket biomes. [3] Vidole capensis is a ground retreat-web cryptic spider that lives in damp and dark places. The species has been found in various habitats and has also been sampled from citrus orchards. [3]

Description

Conservation

Vidole capensis is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute. [3] The species is commonly found in three provinces and is well protected in more than 10 protected areas. Due to its wide geographical range, there are no significant threats to the species. [3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Reginald Innes Pocock in 1900 as Auximus capensis from Bredasdorp in the Western Cape. [1] It was later transferred to the genus Vidole by Pekka Lehtinen in 1967 and revised by Griswold in 1990, who synonymized several species with V. capensis. [3] Vidole capensis serves as the type species for the genus Vidole and is known from both sexes. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 Pocock, R.I. (1900). "Some new Arachnida from Cape Colony". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 6: 316–333. doi:10.1080/00222930008678382.
  2. 1 2 "Vidole capensis (Pocock, 1900)". 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. pp. 30–31. 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.