Xevioso orthomeles

Kruger Park Xevioso Hackled Band Spider
X. orthomeles
Conservation status
Least Concern  (SANBI Red List)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Phyxelididae
Genus:	Xevioso
Species:	X. orthomeles
Binomial name
Xevioso orthomeles Griswold, 1990 [1]

Xevioso orthomeles is a species of spider in the family Phyxelididae. ^[2] It occurs in southern Africa and is commonly known as the Kruger Park Xevioso hackled band spider. ^[3]

Distribution

Xevioso orthomeles is a southern African endemic known from Zimbabwe, Eswatini, and South Africa. In South Africa, it occurs in three provinces, Gauteng, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga, at altitudes ranging from 131 to 4,755 m above sea level. ^[3]

South African locations include Bronkhorstspruit (Farm Onverwacht) in Gauteng; Lekgalameetse Nature Reserve in Limpopo; and Barberton, Lochiel, Kruger National Park (Skukuza Camp), and Lowveld National Botanical Garden in Mpumalanga. ^[3]

Habitat and ecology

Xevioso orthomeles inhabits the Grassland and Savanna biomes. These ground retreat-web cryptic spiders live in dark places and make retreat-webs on the ground. The species occurs primarily in bushveld rather than forest. ^[3]

Conservation

Xevioso orthomeles is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographical range. There are no significant threats to the species. It is protected in Legalameetse Nature Reserve, Lowveld National Botanical Garden, and Kruger National Park. ^[3]

Taxonomy

The species was described by Griswold in 1990 from Kruger National Park and is known from both sexes. ^{[1] [3]}

References

1. Griswold, C.E. (1990). "A revision and phylogenetic analysis of the spider subfamily Phyxelidinae (Araneae, Amaurobiidae)". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 196: 1–206.
2. "Xevioso orthomeles Griswold, 1990". World Spider Catalog. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
3. Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide: The Phyxelididae of South Africa 2021 version 1. p. 43. doi:10.5281/zenodo.5176739 . Retrieved 24 September 2025.  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.