Zelotes aridus

Laingsburg Dark Ground Spider
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Araneae
Infraorder:	Araneomorphae
Family:	Gnaphosidae
Genus:	Zelotes
Species:	Z. aridus
Binomial name
	Zelotes aridus; (Purcell, 1907)
Synonyms
	Melanophora aridaPurcell, 1907 ; Camillina aridaTucker, 1923 ;

Last updated October 06, 2025

Zelotes aridus is a species of spider in the family Gnaphosidae.^[2] It is commonly known as the Laingsburg dark ground spider.^[3]

Distribution

Zelotes aridus is an African species distributed across Tanzania, Namibia, and South Africa.^[2] In South Africa, the species is possibly undersampled and presently recorded from Limpopo and Western Cape, at altitudes ranging from 648 to 1,645 m above sea level.^[3]

Notable locations include the type locality of Laingsburg in the Western Cape and Karoo National Park.^[3]

Habitat and ecology

The species inhabits the Nama Karoo and Savanna biomes. These are free-running ground spiders that are found under stones during the day.^[3]

Description

Conservation

Zelotes aridus is listed as Least Concern by the South African National Biodiversity Institute due to its wide geographic range. There are no significant threats to the species, and it is protected in Karoo National Park.^[3]

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Purcell in 1907 from Laingsburg in the Western Cape as Melanophora arida. It was transferred to Camillina by Tucker in 1923, and later to Zelotes by FitzPatrick in 2007. The species is known from both sexes.^[3]

References

↑ 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. 7. 20 (118): 297–336, pl. 13-15. doi:10.1080/00222930709487339.
1 2 "Zelotes aridus (Purcell, 1907)". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2025-09-25.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 4 (Z). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 6. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197783. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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[purcell1907-1] 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. 7. 20 (118): 297–336, pl. 13-15. doi:10.1080/00222930709487339.

[wsc-2] 1 2 "Zelotes aridus (Purcell, 1907)". World Spider Catalog. doi:10.24436/2 . Retrieved 2025-09-25.

[dippenaar2021-3] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dippenaar-Schoeman, A.S.; Haddad, C.R.; Foord, S.H.; Lotz, L.N. (2021). The Gnaphosidae of South Africa. Part 4 (Z). Version 1. South African National Survey of Arachnida Photo Identification Guide. p. 6. doi:10.5281/zenodo.7197783. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

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