Xerophaeus crustosus

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East London Mouse Ground Spider
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Infraorder: Araneomorphae
Family: Gnaphosidae
Genus: Xerophaeus
Species:
X. crustosus
Binomial name
Xerophaeus crustosus
Purcell, 1907 [1]

Xerophaeus crustosus is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae. [2] It is endemic to South Africa and is commonly known as the East London mouse ground spider. [3]

Contents

Distribution

Xerophaeus crustosus is endemic to the Eastern Cape where it has been sampled from a few localities. [3]

Habitat and ecology

The species inhabits the Thicket biome at altitudes ranging from 16 to 587 m above sea level. Xerophaeus crustosus are free-living ground dwellers. [3]

Description

Conservation

Xerophaeus crustosus is listed as Data Deficient for taxonomic reasons. The species is protected in Addo Elephant National Park, but more sampling is needed to collect females and to more accurately determine the species range. [3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by W. F. Purcell in 1907 from East London. The species has not been revised and is known only from the male. [3]

References

  1. Purcell, W.F. (1907). "New South African spiders of the family Drassidae in the collection of the South African Museum". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 20 (118): 297–336. doi:10.1080/00222930709487339.
  2. "Xerophaeus crustosus Purcell, 1907". World Spider Catalog.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 3 (T-X). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 43. Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.